


Let's Play A Game

by ImOutOfMyVulcanMind (LoopyLu94)



Category: Almost Human
Genre: All torture scenes are in italics, Amputation, Bone Breaking, Death, Electrocution, F/M, Sexual Assault, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-04 22:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12177867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoopyLu94/pseuds/ImOutOfMyVulcanMind
Summary: John Kennex and his girlfriend are in a long term, serious relationship. Everything is going perfectly until she's kidnapped by an old foe. Now John faces a race against time to save more than just his girlfriend...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work does contain graphic scenes of torture in chapters 3 through 7. They are only present in the italics however, and you can skip them without missing out on major plot.

“John!” You spotted your boyfriend and his partner enter the precinct, luckily, just before you left. John turned in your direction when he heard you call, and smiled. “How’s it going?” You asked when you’d made your way over to them.

“Not too bad. It’s better now.” John grinned at you, and you rolled your eyes.

“Idiot.” You chuckled fondly. “I’m glad I caught you though, I wanted to tell you that I’ve booked us a table at Nuri’s place for tonight.”

John nodded with a smile. “You know me too well, Y/N.”

“I should hope so. I know you better than you know yourself, Detective Kennex. Without me you wouldn’t even get to work on time.” You teased lightly.

“She is right, John. You have been on time much more often since the two of you entered this relationship. I must say that your demeanour has improved greatly too.” Dorian added, just to tease John.

John scowled at the two of you. “I don’t like it when you gang up on me. It isn’t fair. And don’t forget that the reason I’m still late sometimes  _is_  because of you.” He raised an eyebrow at you, but you simply shrugged in return.

“What can I say? We all have our needs.” You laughed and kissed John’s cheek. “See you tonight at eight. Keep him out of trouble for me, Dorian.”

Dorian chuckled. “I believe that is nearly impossible, but I’ll try.”.

John huffed. “I should say the same to you.” He muttered, pulling you in for a quick kiss.

Laughing, you swatted John away. “I always stay out of trouble, John. I have to go on patrol. See you tonight. Bye, Dorian.” You waved goodbye to the two men, then left with your MX.

~

The two of you went about your patrol with nothing exciting happening, and for once you actually finished your shift on time. Just as you arrived back at the apartment you now shared with John, you got a message from him saying he had to work later, and he’d meet you at the restaurant.

It didn’t bother you, with your busy schedules the two of you rarely arrived at places together, and you were already planning on having to wait an extra hour. It was Friday, and neither of you regularly worked weekends so it didn’t matter. That was how things went, and you didn’t mind. Yeah things got tricky sometimes, you’d barely see each other for days on occasion, but the two of you worked at it, and things were good.

Entering the apartment, you made a beeline for the bathroom so you could make the most of your alone time and get ready for this evening. John thought it was just an ordinary date, but you had more planned, so you wanted to look extra nice. Not that the way you looked had anything to do with what you had to tell John, but it was still nice to dress up a little. You removed your regular clothes and dumped them to one side, before getting into the shower.

You took your time, using your favorite body wash and shampoo and making sure you felt your best. Once you were done, you stepped out and wrapped a towel around your body so you could dry your hair. You hummed while you worked, first drying, then styling your hair. John loved your hair like this. Of course he always told you were beautiful anyway, but you knew he had a soft spot for it like this, and tonight you wanted to spoil him.

When you were satisfied with your hair and face, you went over to your closet, and started to search through until you came to the outfit you’d been planning to wear. It was new, and John hadn’t seen you in it yet, but you could already imagine his face. You could also imagine his face when you got home and saw under your outfit.

You slipped on the red lacy underwear, and looked yourself over in the mirror with a smile. John was definitely going to love this. You then grabbed the black dress that was hanging nearby, and wiggled into it. It came down to your knees and clung to you in all the right places, and left no hint of the sexy undergarments hidden underneath. You slipped on the pair of low black heels, before turning back to the mirror. You looked good. Really good. And it was nice to dress up for once. Especially for a special occasion. Not that John knew it was one yet. You smiled, feeling the nervous butterflies in your stomach as you thought of the conversation you’d be having with your boyfriend in just a couple of hours’ time.

Glancing at the time, you dialled for a cab. It was pointless the both of you bringing your car. You grabbed your purse when it arrived, and made your way down. Sliding into the seat, you told the driver where you wanted to go, then sat back, looking out the window.

You closed your eyes for a few minutes, once again going over what you were planning to say to John. The excitement and nerves were building rapidly, and you hoped John wouldn’t be too late.

The cab came to a stop at traffic lights, and you opened your eyes again. The road was practically deserted around you.

Then it happened.

You didn’t hear it, but you saw the blood and the hole in the side of your driver’s head as he slumped in his seat.

Your instincts took over, and you reacted automatically. You didn’t have a weapon to attempt a retaliation, so all you could do was flee. The bullet came through the window by the driver, so you bolted for the door on the opposite side, hoping that you’d have enough time to make a run for it.

You practically threw yourself out the door, ready to start sprinting.

Only you came face to face with the barrel of a gun first.

~

John checked the time once again as he sped along the highway, trying to take the swiftest route to the restaurant. 8.30pm. John cursed under his breath. He’d hoped he would have finished long before now, but the paperwork of his last case had to be submitted, and by the time all the little details had been placed down, it had taken hours. He hadn’t even had time to change. Hopefully she won’t mind, he thought.

John brought his car to a stop outside of Nuri’s restaurant, and parked it. He glanced at himself in the mirror, and sighed. He looked tired. Hell, he  _was_  tired. But he was also looking forward to tonight. The two of them hadn’t been on a proper date for awhile now.

He stepped out of the car and entered the restaurant, immediately scanning for Y/N. When he couldn’t find her though, he frowned.

“Detective Kennex. I thought you had changed your mind.”

John turned to face Nuri, his frown deepening. “You mean Y/N hasn’t arrived yet?”

Nuri shook his head. “No. The table is still reserved if you want it.”

“Yeah, thanks.” John ordered a drink, then made his way over to the table Nuri gestured to. It was unlike Y/N to be late for no reason. John pulled out his cell in case he’d missed a message, but nothing. Still frowning, John dialled her number.

_“You’ve reached Detective Y/N Y/L/N. I’m sorry I can’t take your call. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”_

Straight to voicemail. It wasn’t like Y/N to have her phone off either. A sense of unease was starting to grow in the pit of John’s stomach, and he sipped his drink.

Ten minutes later, there was still no sign of her. John was drumming his fingers on the table, and tried the number again.

_“You’ve reached Detective Y/N Y/L/N. I’m sorry I can’t take your call. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”_

John couldn’t stand it anymore. Something was wrong he knew it. He paid Nuri for the drink, along with a considerably large tip, and went back to his car.

The drive back home didn’t take long, but it felt like hours. Finally, he arrived, and John forced himself not to run in. Y/N had fallen to sleep or something, he told himself, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

“Y/N?” There were a couple of lights on in the apartment, and as John looked around, his stomach twisted into knots. There was no sign of anyone. “Y/N?” John called again, searching the apartment. No sign of forced entry. No sign of a fight. Everything was almost exactly the same as when he’d left that morning.

_“You’ve reached Detective Y/N Y/L/N. I’m sorry I can’t take your call. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”_

“Dammit.” John cursed, throwing his phone onto the bed. Where the hell was she?

The shrill ring of his cellphone drew John sharply from his thoughts, and he quickly grabbed it again.

“John?” The sound of Captain Maldonado on the other end of the line did nothing to ease John’s anxiety, in fact it only heightened it, and John was already imagining the worst.

“I’m here. Have you heard from Y/N? I can’t find her.”

“That’s why I’m calling, John.” Maldonado was speaking softly, and John braced himself. She only ever used that voice when she had bad news. “There was an incident on the road about three blocks from your apartment. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a cab driver dead in his seat. One shot through the head. The rear door was open, but there was no sign of any other victims, so they searched surveillance footage. You need to see it, John. I’m sending it to you now.”

Maldonado fell silent, and John pulled the phone away from his ear when he heard the beep of an incoming transmission. He turned the screen on its side, and held it in front of him, his heart already racing.

_7.55pm. The cab pulled to a stop in front of a red light. There was little other traffic. A bright light about head height just on the edge of the camera. A raised arm. A gun. The arm jerked. Sudden movement in the rear of the cab. Another figure with blinding light for a face approached, gun already raised. The door to the cab flew open. A woman bolted out. She came face to face with the second man with the gun and froze. She became defensive. Ready to attack. The first shooter rounded the cab, aiming their gun at the woman. She looked between the two, the camera angle not catching her face. There was a stand-off for a few seconds. The woman was still on the defence. She hadn’t given in. Then the woman looked up, out of the sight of the camera, and her body language changed. She looked defeated. One of her attackers grabbed her roughly, pulling her arms behind her back. As the woman was tugged, the tell-tale red dot of a sniper became visible as it shifted to stay focused on her head. Arms bound, the woman was pulled away from the cab. Her body twisted and just as they were about to leave the view of the camera, her face became clear for the first time. 7.58pm._

The video stopped, leaving the face of the woman frozen on John’s screen.

Leaving Y/N’s face frozen on John’s screen.

John stared at her face, a hundred thoughts running through his mind at once. This had been planned. The flash masks. The sniper. There was no sound on the video, but John had seen the silencer on the weapons. This wasn’t random. Someone had targeted Y/N specifically.

And she was going to fight back. Her instincts had taken over, and she was going to try and take on two men with guns. Probably would have succeeded too. John thought back to all the times Y/N had taken on multiple sparring partners in the gym. It seemed her attackers knew that too though. That’s why they brought the sniper. It was impossible to see mouths moving through the glare of the flash masks, but it was obvious to see that they’d told her about the sniper. Even if Y/N had managed to bring the two men down, she still would’ve been killed.

So she’d done what she was trained to do in that situation. She gave in. She let yourself be taken without a fight, because it meant staying alive longer. The longer Y/N stayed alive, the more chance she had of being rescued.

“John?” Maldonado was back speaking, but John didn’t hear her. All he could focus on was Y/N’s face. He could see she was trying to keep herself calm, but he saw the fear in her eyes.

This was even worse than his worse possible thought.

In three minutes Y/N had been taken from him.

And it was all his fault.

If he’d finished on time, or rushed the paperwork, or just said screw it and left it for Monday, he would’ve made it back to the apartment before she left.  Would’ve gone together instead. They wouldn’t have dared attack two cops at the same time.

“John?” John heard Maldonado this time, but he still didn’t respond. He couldn’t even think to respond.

John saw red. He flung his cell across the room, watching it smash into the wall. He couldn’t stop there. The anger felt like fire in his blood. John reached for the nearest object, a chair, and swung it through the air, destroying it, and anything else in its path. John didn’t care. He was furious at the men who had taken Y/N, and even more furious at himself for not being there to protect her.

Flying into a blind rage, John kicked, punched and smashed anything and everything he could.

He didn’t even feel the pain as he slammed his fist through the glass wall, shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces and leaving a fair share of glass splinters in his skin.

He didn’t care about the searing pain in his foot as he kicked his exercise equipment with his real leg, sending the machine tumbling across the room.

He didn’t even care as the guitars he’d spent so much and so long on acquiring were destroyed as he used them to demolish whatever was left standing.

Clothes rails, chests of drawers, seating, all were left ruined in the wake of John’s destruction.

By the time John’s exhaustion overcame his anger, the main room resembled a bomb site more than a living area. John slumped to the floor near the bed, his head in his hands.

A part of his mind was screaming at him that this wasn’t helping Y/N. That he needed to pull himself together. That he’d be no use to anyone on the team at the moment. He was emotionally compromised.

Another part of his mind told him Maldonado would already be working on finding her. That he was better off here out of the way until he was stable enough to help not hinder.

But mostly his mind was telling him that he’d give his other leg and anything else, just to be able to hold her again. To tell her that it was going to be okay, and that he’d make whoever was behind this pay.

Slowly, John lowered his arms to his knees and raised his head so he could look around. He took in the destroyed room, but still couldn’t find it in himself to care. It all seemed superficial. Meaningless.

His gaze dragged across the damage, before landing on something out of the ordinary. Lying amongst the rubble of a drawer and some of Y/N’s clothes was a stick. A white stick.

Despite his heart once again thundering in his chest, John moved slowly, as if in a daze. He reached out and grasped the object, holding it before him. He studied the smooth white side, urging himself to turn it over. John wasn’t an expert, but he knew what this was.

John’s heart was hammering so fast he thought it was going to burst out of him as he forced himself to turn the stick over.

John’s eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat.

There, on the little screen, standing out proudly in black, was a word.

_Pregnant_


	2. Chapter 2

_Pregnant._

John stared at the word, his brain struggling to catch up. Y/N was pregnant? Y/N knew she was pregnant? And she hadn’t told him? Why? Why wouldn’t she…oh. Tonight. She was going to tell him tonight. That’s what it was all about.

John closed his eyes, a wave of nausea washing over him. He only just made it into the bathroom before it became too much and he vomited. As he wretched, all he could think about was that he hadn’t just lost Y/N. He’d lost her and her baby. His baby. John was never one to cry, but as he knelt there clutching the toilet, a giant sob wracked through his body, and he felt the tears on his cheeks.

If he couldn’t get Y/N back, what was going to happen? Did they somehow know? Is that why they took her? Were they planning on…doing something? What…what if she lost the baby? Because he couldn’t keep her safe? A fresh wave of nausea spread over John, but he had nothing left, so all he could do was dry heave between sobs. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to either of them.

He had no idea how long he was there for, but John was only brought back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“John?” Dorian spoke softly, and knelt by John’s side, but John couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “It’ll be okay. We’ll find Y/N. Captain Maldonado already has half the precinct scouring every angle.”

John nodded, attempting to get his ragged breathing under control. “Y/N…she’s…she’s pregnant. I think she was going to tell me tonight.”

“Then we’ll get the both of them back.” Dorian helped John off the floor. “Have some water. Wash your mouth out.” Dorian spotted the cuts on John’s hand, and looked under the sink, grabbing the first aid kit that was there. “Kitchen.” Dorian said when John had rinsed his mouth out, and guided his partner over the mess in the living area. He sat John down in one of the remaining seats and poured him a glass of bourbon.

“Thanks.” John said, taking the drink and having a large gulp. He could feel the liquor calm his frayed nerves almost immediately.

“You’re welcome, John.” Dorian opened the first aid kit and set about cleaning up John’s hand. Luckily it wasn’t too bad, and Dorian was able to patch it up himself.

“I can’t lose her, Dorian. I can’t. Especially not now.” John sighed, downing the rest of his drink, then letting his head rest in his free hand.

“You won’t John. We’ll find Y/N, and we’ll make the people responsible pay.” Dorian finished wrapping the bandage around John’s hand. “Captain Maldonado asked me to give you this too.” The DRN reached into his pocket and pulled out a new cellphone. “When your call ended abruptly, the Captain guessed that you had broken your regular device. Your old number has been reissued to it, and Maldonado will use it to contact you with updates.”

John took the cell, and slipped it into his own pocket. “She won’t need to use it; I’m not staying here and doing nothing for Y/N.”

“John, you are not emotionally stable enough. Your opinions will be biased and you will be objective while examining potential evidence.” Dorian protested, rising when John did.

“I don’t care, I’m not staying here twiddling my thumbs while those bastards do God knows what to Y/N and our child!”

Dorian opened his mouth to argue further, but he was interrupted by John’s new cell ringing. John yanked it out of his pocket. “Kennex.”

“John.” Maldonado was on the other end. “I need you to come down to the precinct immediately. We’ve had contact.”

~

You groaned weakly as the world slowly came back into focus, and the ground beneath you stopped moving. The side of your neck throbbed. One of your kidnappers must have injected you with something to knock you out. Gradually, you tried to take in your bearings. Your arms were still bound painfully tight, but you were only just starting to lose feeling in them which meant you couldn’t have been travelling that long. You were lying on the floor in the back of a van that smelled disgustingly like fish. It was empty apart from you at the moment though it seemed.

You started to squirm around, looking for some sort of exit, but froze when you heard deep voices from outside the van. They were muffled, so you couldn’t make out what they were saying, but you could tell that they were approaching the rear doors of the van.

The loud clang of the doors being unlocked, followed by the high-pitched screech of them opening on rusty hinges made you cringe, the sounds reverberating through your still fogged up head. “Looks like our little mouse is awake.” One of the voices, male, purred when he saw your eyes open.

“Good. The Boss’ll wanna talk to ‘er.” The second voice, also male, said, before grabbing your ankles and dragging your unceremoniously out of the van. You didn’t get a good look at either of their faces before you were thrown over a shoulder like a ragdoll, but you knew that these weren’t the same men that had taken you earlier. The one carrying you was far bigger, and from what you could see the other was a lot slighter. Whatever was going on, it was big then.

You tried to look around you, to see if you could get an idea of where in the City you were, but the area was almost pitch black, and practically deathly silent. Which was unusual for any part of the City. Your captors turned, and as they did, you saw the glow of bright lights far in the distance. Your heart sunk. It meant you could only be in one place.

You were taken into a building that was even darker than the street, and stank even worse of fish than the van did. You fought back a wretch, not willing to show that kind of weakness in front of your captors. You were taken up stairs, seven flights if you counted correctly, something you weren’t completely sure of. The man carrying you wasn’t careful, and as he and his accomplice made their way quickly up, you bounced and jerked on his shoulder, making your stomach roll even more, and concentrating difficult.

Finally, you came to a stop, and you just about bit back a shout as you were thrown to the floor of a small room. There were no lights on in the room, but the low light from the hall was enough for you to make out the grunge and dirt that lined the rooms walls.

“What do you bastards want?” You growled, pushing yourself up on your knees.

“A great many things, Detective Y/L/N, but mainly revenge.” A single bulb above your head flickered on, making you squint at the sudden brightness. A third figure stepped into the room, and crouched down in front of you. It took a few seconds for your eyes to adjust, but when they did, you gasped.

“You…you died in the Cubes two years ago.” You whispered.

“Did I? Modern drugs are an amazing thing aren’t they?” The man, Jack Bates, grinned at you, making the scar that travelled from the corner of his right eye, down to the corner of his mouth twist into an even more grotesque shape.

You and John had taken down Bates years ago, during the first case you’d worked together. John had been partnered with you while his other partner had been on paternity leave. They’d been after him for multiple crimes, from theft, to rape, to torture, to murder, to terrorism, to human trafficking. You’d caught him, and he’d been sentenced to life without parole in the Cubes.

“What’s your plan, Bates?” You spat, hoping your voice sounded steadier than you felt.

Bates’ grin turned cruel. “Don’t worry, little mouse, I’m going to tell you everything.” Bates twisted a hand into your hair, and pulled it painfully as he rose, giving you no other choice than to rise too. “But first we’re going to make a little home movie.”

~

John sprinted into the precinct, didn’t bother to wait for the elevator, and ran up the stairs instead with Dorian hot on his heels. “What is it? What have you heard?” He asked, skidding to a stop in the middle of the floor.

“Come with me, John. You too, Dorian.” Maldonado motioned with her head for the two of them to follow her into her office. “Fifteen minutes ago officers found the van seen in the footage of Y/N’s kidnapping. It was abandoned, but they found a memory stick containing a video. You need to see it, John.” Maldonado, clicked a few buttons on her computer and turned the screen to face John.

_“Greetings, Detective Kennex. I hope you remember me, because I remember you. It’s been a long time, has it not? Many years since you robbed me of all I had, and threw me away with all the other low-life scum who wouldn’t know how to be a true criminal if one came up and punched them in the face. And I did by the way, punch them in the face. Had to do something for fun.” Bates grinned down the camera. “But that’s neither here nor there anymore. What matters now, is that I take away the things you have.”_

_Bates stepped back, letting the rest of the room, and Y/N who was tied to a chair, come into view. “I’ve come to believe that Detective Y/L/N here is quite important to you, is she not? She is someone you would hate to lose.” Bates moved behind the chair, and brought the knife he was holding to Y/N’s face. “This is the same brand knife your darling used to cut me with. Perhaps I should return the favor?” Bates pressed the knife down until a dark bubble of blood appeared around the edge. He pulled it away. “Maybe, but not yet. I want to play a game with you, Detective. I’ve always liked games. Every day for the next six days, we’ll be moving to a new location. Every day you’ll find a video like this one in the last location. I won’t be so kind in those ones though. Each day you’ll have to bear witness to something unfortunate happening to Detective Y/L/N; unless you find us first. I’ll make it easy and leave little clues for you.”_

_Bates paused for a few moments while he licked the blood of the knife, never breaking eye contact with the lens. “I assume you’re now wondering what will happen if you don’t find us in time? Will I simply kill Y/L/N? Maybe skin her and leave her strung up somewhere for you to find? No, Detective Kennex. If you fail you’ll never see your beloved again. I’ll make sure she goes far, far away. Alive; but wishing she was dead.”_

_Bates grasped Y/N’s face in one hand, and made a motion with the other. The camera zoomed in until Y/N took up the whole frame. She was screaming behind her gag, trying to say something, but the material covering her mouth made every word unintelligible. Yet screamed she did, as loudly as she could, but not loud enough to drown out Bates’ final words._

_“Have fun, Detective.”_

The video ended with the close up of Y/N’s face, and silently Maldonado switched it off. John could feel both her and Dorian watching him, waiting for a response, but he couldn’t give one. Not yet. All he could focus on was not letting his rage get the best of him again. If he flipped out now, Maldonado would never let him stay, and he couldn’t have that. He had to stay. Had to find Y/N. Had to save her. Had to pummel that son of bitch Bates’ face into a pulp.

“Do we have any leads as to the current location Detective Y/L/N is being held at?” Dorian broke the silence with the most obvious question.

“Not yet. We have all our tech teams scouring every second of the video, looking for these clues, but nothing yet. It should be available for you to download Dorian. Maybe you’ll find something.” Maldonado answered. She put a hand on John’s shoulder. “John?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” John finally had mastery of his own voice and emotions again, and carefully released the edge of the desk he’d been holding in a death grip. He turned to Maldonado. “I’m going to find Bates, and if he’s hurt Y/N, I’m going to make sure the bastard dies for real this time.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains torture in the italics. Skip if you don't want to read!

**Day 1**

John sat at his desk, drinking his umpteenth cup of coffee, and rewatching the video for the millionth time. He’d been at the precinct all night, so his eyes had long since blurred too much to catch the finer details of the video. But he didn’t care. Dorian was on that. And he trusted the DRN to find those details. All John could care about was watching Y/N. The close up allowed him to see all the minuscule features of her face.

The trickle of blood from the knife prick running down Y/N’s cheek in a gross mimicry of Bates’ own scar, hair that John knew would have been styled perfectly, sticking up all over the place as if someone had pulled her by it. And her eyes. Y/N’s eyes were what broke John’s heart. They weren’t red rimmed so Y/N hadn’t been crying. She’d been trying to be strong. But there was still fear there. Behind the strength, and past the determination, John could see the fear plainly in the eyes he adored so much.

He briefly wondered if their child would have their mother’s eyes or his. He hoped it was Y/N’s. He could see them in his mind’s eye. It was a girl, he knew it was. A perfect little girl with her mother’s eyes, two lopsided pigtails, and a cheeky grin that was more John than Y/N. He’d teach her to defend herself. Make sure no one ever stood a chance against her in the rare moments when John wasn’t around to protect her. And protect her he would. He was going to get them both back, and protect them for the rest of his days.

John tore his eyes away from the screen. He couldn’t look anymore. Couldn’t look at the face he was so close to letting down. He closed his eyes with a sigh. John had never pictured himself being a father. It wasn’t that he didn’t want kids, it was just that he never imagined having them. Especially after Anna. He’d been too broken to be a father. But now he had Y/N, and that far off possibility was in grasp, and John didn’t want to let it go.

He’d propose, he decided. As soon as he had Y/N back in his arms and safe, he’d propose. He’d ask his mother for her engagement ring. It had been passed through the generations since the early twentieth century. It would fit perfectly on Y/N’s finger. Maybe they’d get married before the baby came, or maybe they’d wait. It would be nice to have them in the photos, John thought.

He’d turn the trophy room in a nursery too. He and Y/N could go shopping and pick out colors. A pale yellow would look nice. Maybe they could look into buying a house, somewhere with a garden, but it was doubtful that they’d find one that met his standards before the baby arrived. As long as they found one before they were up and walking, it didn’t really matter. That gave them a couple of years. They could build the perfect house in that time…

“John!” Dorian’s voice jerked John from his musings. “We have a location.”

“Where is it?” John grabbed his jacket in the same movement as he stood, tugging it on.

“Abandoned fish factory on Pier 6.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. In the background a piece of machinery is partially visible. The particular brand was only used by one company in the City. They operated out of three different buildings across the docks, but after scanning the skyline seen through the single window, I was able to narrow it down to one.” Dorian explained quickly as he and John rushed from the building.

It was good enough for John. “Maldonado knows?”

“Yes, and three tactical teams have already been dispatched to secure the perimeter.” Dorian slid into John’s car, and said nothing as John immediately began to speed down the highways, sirens blasting.

John gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, and he knew his driving was bordering on dangerous, but he didn’t care. They were going to get Y/N back. They were going to find Bates. And he was going to make him pay.

The three units were surrounding the building when John finally pulled the car to a stop. An officer was already waiting with a vest for John. “Any sign of movement within the building?”

“No, sir. It’s all quiet. We’ve tried to do a heat scan, but the exterior walls are too thick.”

John pulled the vest on, and looked over to Dorian. “We’ll go in first with three other men. I want all exits and the roof covered in case they try to escape.”

The officer nodded. “Yes, sir.” He said, before disappearing to get everything in order.

“John, are you sure you want to go in? If something has happened to Y/N…” Dorian spoke carefully, watching for John’s reaction.

“I’m going in, Dorian. I’m going to be there no matter what.”

Dorian nodded. “Alright.” He copied John’s movement of pulling out his gun, and followed him as they were joined by the three others.

John could feel his heart thundering as they broke down the main door, guns aimed and ready. He glanced over at Dorian. “Anything?”

“No. I’m not detecting anything, John.”

John sighed, not liking the growing feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach one bit. “Let’s keep moving up. Carefully.” John led the way up slowly, letting Dorian scan each floor even when they appeared empty.

When they reached the fifth floor, Dorian placed a hand on his arm. “John…over there. That’s the window from the background of the video.”

John did a quick sweep of the area, and upon seeing nothing, cursed under his breath. “I want every corner of this place searched! Now!” He snapped, stalking over to the window, placing his hands on the wall either side of it as he leaned forward to stare out into the distance.

Behind him, John heard movement as the others began to scour the floor, looking for something, anything that could lead them to Y/N. He saw Dorian’s reflection in the window a split second before he felt his hand on his shoulder. “We will find them, John.”

“How? Look at this place, Dorian, they’re hours ahead of us. They could move to three locations before we find the next.”

“Bates said they’d move to one new location per day. That would mean they’ll be staying in one place until tomorrow. There must be a video here somewhere, and once we locate it, we can find out where they’re currently holding Y/N, and find them before they move again.”

John turned to face Dorian and nodded. “Yeah. We will.”

“Detective Kennex!” An MX walked over to them. “We found this behind a wall panel.” It stopped in front of John and passed him a small object. A memory stick.

“Get me a computer now!”

_“Greetings again, Detective. It appears you failed to find the appropriate location before we moved. Round one goes to me then.” Bates was back, grinning down the camera. “I should keep a tally, shouldn’t I?” He stepped back, allowing Y/N to come into focus. A large man was holding her up on her feet, which were free, but her arms were bound beyond her back. Duct tape was still secured over her mouth, so her muffled shouts were still unintelligible. Bates moved over to Y/N, and produced the same knife as before. He turned, briefly, to wink at the camera, then sliced down the area of Y/N’s chest that wasn’t covered by her dress. Y/N shouted behind her gag._

_Bates left her then, and fully faced the camera once more. “I believe I also said that something unfortunate would happen with each new day.” Bates stepped to one side, and gestured with his free hand. A third man came into view, smaller than the others but more slimey looking. Y/N tore her eyes away from Bates as the smaller man approached her, and began to struggle against her captors hold._

_His grip held fast though, and all Y/N could do was squirm as Small groped her breasts through the fabric of her dress. He whispered something while smirking darkly, but the audio wasn’t clear. It made Y/N thrash though, and she kicked out blindly at Small. She caught his shin with the heel of her shoe, and this time his shout of pain was clear as his leg gave out beneath him. Large scowled, and pushed Y/N away from him. As she stumbled to regain her balance, he lashed out, his fist connecting with her face hard. The blow sent Y/N falling towards the wall, and with no hands to catch herself, collided with it. A hand fisted in her hair, Small’s hand, and dragged her back up before she could collapse completely. Disorientated, Y/N couldn’t put up any more of a fight._

_Large stalked towards her, grinning as he slipped a hand up her thigh and under her dress. Y/N shook her head, still struggling to pull away even though it was weakly. Large took his time, not pulling his hand away until tears spilled from Y/N’s eyes._

_They pushed her back and forth between them, each taking their turns in assaulting her. Large had just taken hold of her, when Y/N found the energy to attack again. She kicked out once more at Small, but this time he saw it coming. He grabbed her ankle, stopping it before she hit him. Small smirked, raising Y/N’s leg and using the advantage to press his hips into hers. Y/N squirmed, still trying to get away, but all the movement did was cause her dress to ride up. A glimpse of red appeared, and Small smirked again while Large wolf-whistled._

_Y/N closed her eyes and turned her head away as Small reached between her legs and tore the fabric away. He raised it up, waving it triumphantly even as he rolled his hips against Y/N’s._

_“Enough.” Bates barked, and reluctantly Small pulled away. “You can finish your fun later. Bring Detective Y/L/N over here for now.”_

_Large practically dragged Y/N closer towards Bates and the camera. With the closer view, the tears mingled with make-up mingled with blood were plain to see on Y/N’s face._

_“This is just day one, Detective Kennex. As the week progresses I won’t be so strict with my men. Until tomorrow.”_

_The camera did one last close-up of Y/N’s face, then turned black._

John stared at the screen, swallowing down the bile that was rising in his throat. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the screen where Y/N’s face had been just seconds before. He wanted to wrap his hands around those bastards throats, watch them struggle and suffer just like Y/N had. He wanted to hurt them. Wanted to make them pay for even thinking about hurting her.

John yelled as he smashed his fist into the screen, the rage inside him bubbling over. He didn’t give a damn about the sharp burst of pain in his still hurt hand. He turned sharply to see that everyone besides Dorian had backed away, giving him a wide berth. “Find out who those other bastards are. I want to know their names when I rip their throats out.” John growled at the DRN, before pushing past him and walking away.

“Where are you going, John?” Dorian called after him.

“I need some air!” John shouted back over his shoulder.

He only made it a few steps around the edge of the building, and out of everyone’s sight before he collapsed to his knees, unable to get the image of Y/N crying out of his head. Her eyes, usually so bright and beautiful, now red rimmed and terrified. Disorientated, alone, hurting, and John was unable to help her. Help them.

John closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains torture in the italics. Skip if you don't want to read!

**Day 2  
**

John was about ready to start pulling his hair out when the clock in the precinct struck midnight. Bates could be moving Y/N to the next location any minute now. John’s stomach churned at the thought of what he might have in store for her next.

He tried not to think about it, instead turning his attention back to the files of Bates’ accomplices. Zayne Hallewell, Large. And Ross Myers, Small. Both served time in the Cubes with Bates. Hallewell did time for aggravated assault and battery. And Myers was sent down for rape. Neither appeared to be the brightest individual, so John could only assume they were nothing but Bates’ lackeys, people to do his dirty work for him. They’d both been released a year before Bates’ ‘death’, which suggested that they’d been the ones to orchestrate Bates’ escape, but John didn’t buy it. It was all too clever for men like them.

Maldonado had sent officers to the Cubes to question the other inmates in the hope of finding a third accomplice, someone smarter than Hallewell and Myers, or just any information about any of them in general. Only one prisoner had even admitted to ever seeing Bates, Hallewell and Myers altogether  at once. No mention of a fourth individual. John had wanted to go himself, but he’d been declared too potentially volatile by Maldonado, and forced to stay put. He hadn’t been happy about it, but he knew the Captain was right. He would’ve been likely to throw a punch if someone had cooperated. Any violence should be saved for later.

They’d searched for former cellmates and known associates for all three too, and while they had a list of names, they’d so far failed to track them down for questioning. John hated feeling like he was stuck in a dead end, and he knew that each day wasted meant more pain for Y/N, and a higher likelihood of something happening to the baby. If nothing had happened already.

“John.” Maldonado strode out of her office. “We have the next location.”

John was up on his feet immediately, and was grabbing his jacket when Maldonado placed a hand on his arm. “Tactical squads are already en route. By the time you get there, John, they could’ve taken the building and pulled Y/N out.” John opened his mouth to protest, to say he had to be there. “Bates has shown that he doesn’t mess about. If he’s hurt Y/N more. The longer we wait, the worse it’ll be. Stay here and watch with me. When we have confirmation that we have her, you can meet her at the hospital.”

“But…” John was still prepared to protest, but Dorian appeared by his side and gave a subtle shake of his head. John sighed, and nodded. “Fine.”

“Good. Let’s get a screen up people!” Maldonado ordered, walking to the middle of the floor with John and Dorian.

John glanced at the clock again. Six am. There might be time still. He crossed his arms over his chest, and resisted the urge to fidget impatiently. The view screen came on, and they were greeted to the sight of doors viewed through the camera attached to one of the officer’s rifles. The footage was shaky as the team began to move forward, but it was clear, and they were able to hear the calls of the other officers as one by one they cleared the rooms. As they moved up, the sinking feeling returned in the pit of John’s stomach. It was all too quiet. The building was empty he knew already.

“There! On the floor!” A voice called to the left of the person holding the rifle. The view span around and focused on a small item on the floor. Another memory stick.

John slammed his palm down onto the nearest desk in frustration, as he turned away from the screen. He felt everyone’s eyes on him, but no one said anything.

“Get that video uploaded. Now!” He heard Maldonado order behind him.

“We’ll find her, John. We will.” Valerie spoke to him softly, kindly, but all John could do in return was nod. He knew everyone meant well, but he also wished people would stop saying that. He was trying to stay positive, but all the false positivity did was make that harder.

“John.” John turned back around when Maldonado said his name, and faced the view screen again. He clenched his jaw, bracing himself.

_The room was completely dark, until a single overhead light flickered on. Directly beneath it, Y/N flinched at the sudden brightness. Her hands were tied with rope above her head, high enough that she was forced to stand on the tips of her toes._

_Bates came into view from the right. “Round two goes to me, Detective Kennex.” He smirked down the lens briefly, then turned towards Y/N. The knife in his hand caught the light. Bates raised his hand, and quickly slashed down Y/N’s chest, creating a second tally mark next to the first. Y/N’s cry was loud even with the duct tape still over her mouth. Bates stepped to the side and out of view of the camera. “Let’s put on a show shall we?”_

_Hallewell and Myers came into focus, each carrying a thin rod. Myers moved first, pressing the tip to the inside of Y/N’s elbow. Y/N screamed behind her gag, trying desperately to pull away. She managed to move so Myers wasn’t touching her, but backed straight into Hallewell. His rod pressed against her underarm, and Y/N screamed again. The two men laughed, taking it in turns to shock Y/N, forcing her to flinch back and forth between them._

_Myers bent down to press in against the back of her knee, making Y/N kick out. Myers caught her leg though, and knocked her shoe off. He grinned as he pressed the rod firmly against the sole of her foot. Y/N jerked violently as she screamed, her other leg giving out to leave all her wrists bear all her weight._

_“Enough.” Bates snapped from behind the camera. Neither men looked happy, but they both backed away._

_Y/N was left hanging, once more the only person in view. Her muffled whimpers could be heard even as her body twitched weakly. With her head bowed, her face was hidden, but the occasional sniffle suggested she was crying._

_Bates stepped in front of the camera, blocking Y/N from view. “Have fun, Detective.”_

The silence that surrounded John as the video stopped playing was deafening, and once again he could feel all eyes on him. He ground his teeth together as he fought to stay in control. He turned sharply towards Dorian. He had to get out of here. If he stayed cooped up for much longer he was going to explode. “You’re coming with me. Now.”

“John, where are you going?” Maldonado asked.

“To find someone, anyone, who knows these guys and where they might be.”

“Violence isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“Being calm isn’t either. We’ve already nearly lost another two hours, and the more hours we lose the less chance we have of finding Y/N today. When I say I want her back, I mean alive and in one piece, and we have no idea what Bates has got planned next. I’m not sitting here twiddling my thumbs while he hurts Y/N.”

Maldonado studied John for a few moments, but then nodded. “Alright. I’m trusting you to keep him out of too much trouble, Dorian.”

“Of course, Captain.” John caught Dorian’s nod of assent on the edge of his vision, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He already knew Dorian wouldn’t stop him. The worst the DRN would do is suggest he shouldn’t do something. “Where are we going?” He asked, once they were both in John’s car.

John sighed. “I have no idea. Head downtown I guess, ask around in general.” He glanced over at Dorian, before starting up the car. “I just needed to get out of there and do something remotely useful. This is all tech stuff, and that’s for people like you and Rudy. All I’ve been able to do is sit around uselessly and think about how I’m failing Y/N and our child.”

“You are not failing her, John. You’re doing everything you possibly can.”

“You saw how scared she was, how much she was hurting. Even if we do get her back, with everything Bates has put her through already…”

“Y/N is strong. She might be scared, but that doesn’t mean Bates will break her. She’s tougher than that, you know she is.”

“Yeah, she is. Tougher than I am half the time, but if she loses the baby too…”

“You’ll get through it together.”

John was strangely grateful that Dorian didn’t attempt to give him some false platitude about the baby being fine too, even if it did hurt like a stab to the gut.

They spent the entire day driving around, digging up every contact John had acquired over the years, and interrogating them about the three men. Most had heard of Bates, and plenty knew Hallewell and Myers personally, but none of them had been seen in at least a year, and even when John threw his weight around, no one could even give a hint as to where their hideouts might be.

It was dark by the time Dorian finally convinced John that enough was enough for one day, and John felt more frustrated than ever. How so many people could know of three individuals, but not have the slightest thought of where they could be, left John feeling uncomfortable, and more sure than ever that someone else was involved. Someone who was able to scare everyone into lying for them.

The side of Dorian’s face lighting up caught John’s attention. “What’s with the disco face?”

Dorian shook his head. “Nothing.”

“You don’t light up over nothing.”

“Some of my systems are acting up. I haven’t charged in over forty-eight hours, and because I’ve been running a background programme to analyze the latest video, it’s drained me even faster.”

John had to admit he felt a little guilty. In the last two days he hadn’t even given Dorian working around the clock with him a second thought. Hadn’t entered his head that he couldn’t get by on coffee like John did. “How much you got left?”

“I’m on nineteen percent.”

“Alright, I’ll drop you off at Rudy’s before I go back to the precinct.”

“John, you should go home too. You haven’t had any rest in the last two days either.”

John pulled his car to a stop in front of the old church. “I can’t. Not with Y/N still out there.”

Dorian looked as if he was preparing to protest further, but changed his mind. “If there any further developments, you will contact Rudy to unplug me?”

John nodded. “Of course. You’re my partner.”

Dorian smiled. “Thank you, John.”

John rolled his eyes in return, but walked Dorian down to Rudy’s lab with him anyway, just to make sure he got in without incident. It was quiet in the car on the way back to the precinct, too quiet for John’s tastes because it left him alone with thoughts he didn’t want to have. He thought about what Bates would do to Y/N next, how he’d hurt her. John wondered if they were hurting her outside the recordings too. He thought back to the first one, all the fun those two brutes were having. Would Bates let them go further with her?

John swerved to a stop on the side of the road, only just managing to open the door before he threw up. There wasn’t much, he had eaten anything for there to be more than bile that burned his throat retched up. But he couldn’t stop the churning in his stomach as images of what those bastards could be doing to Y/N off camera flashed through his mind.

Wearily, John rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth as he sat back. The anger that was never truly settling down, bubbled forth even more, coming close to a point where John knew he could easily do something regrettable. But he didn’t care.

He’d take that rage, because he also knew that if he didn’t he’d end up numb, and being numb wouldn’t find Y/N.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains torture in the italics. Skip if you don't want to read!

**Day 3  
**

John had spent the entire night pouring over old files, trying to find a glimmer of a connection between Bates and a fourth person. He searched every file of every inmate Bates had contact with inside the Cubes, but found nothing. Other than the occasional fight, Bates had kept himself to himself. So John searched the records of those Bates fought with, to see if they were but a ploy to pass on messages. They were all menial criminals, people like Hallewell and Myers whose only purpose was dirty work. John went even further back anyway, looking for the associates of Bates’ punching bags, hoping that perhaps they’d worked for someone bigger and badder that fit the bill. Nothing.

John was about to give up, and go and pick Dorian up from Rudy’s when he had another thought. A brief search and his suspicions were confirmed. Almost. He grabbed his jacket, pulling it on as he rushed down the stairs to his car. Luckily Rudy’s place wasn’t too far away.

“John, I’m glad you’ve dropped in. I have that spare leg charged up for you.” Rudy said as soon as John walked in.

“Thanks. Listen, Rudy, do you remember the drug DT-83?” John could see Dorian’s face light up as soon as he mentioned it.

“Do I remember it? I spent three years trying to recreate it, until my funds were cut.” If it were any other time John would have laughed at how annoyed Rudy sounded.

“DT-83 was an illegal drug created by Dr. Peter Covett. It was originally designed as a method of intense of torture, but Covett discovered that it was also capable of mimicking death for up to forty-eight hours when given in high enough quantities.” Dorian filled in, looking between John and Rudy.

John already knew all that, but Rudy snorted. “Mimic is quite a bit of an understatement. DT-83 practically killed the user. Only the basic of functions remained, and only the most advanced technology was able to detect those vital signs. To the average, and to most computer systems, the person was dead. It was quite brilliant, and it was why for such a long time, I was paid to try and recreate it. The plan was to give it to Officers, soldiers, anyone who was regularly put in a dangerous situation, as a means to fake their deaths, and escape actual death.”

“But you were never able to?” Dorian asked.

Rudy shook his head. “No. There was some special ingredient that only Covett knew, and when he died six years ago, the secret went with him, so it was pointless.”

Dorian turned back to look at John. “Where are you going with this, John? Covett died four years before Bates did, and they were only in the Cubes together for four months.”

“I don’t think Covett is dead. He’s a genius, with the knowledge of how to create a drug that can fake death. You really think he’d willingly rot in prison when he had the perfect method to break out?”

“You think Covett is how Bates escaped too.” It wasn’t a question from Dorian. “But why?”

“It was never proven, but there was always rumor that Bates and Covett worked together, that Covett taught Bates everything he knows. There has to be another person involved in all this, and Covett is the best answer to that.”

Slowly, Dorian nodded. “It would make sense. Covett’s old cellmate is still alive and in the Cubes.” Dorian met John’s gaze. “He’s been in solitary for the last two years for the murder of a guard, so we weren’t able to speak with him yesterday..”

John yanked out his cell, punching in a few quick digits. “Captain? I need you to get me access to Dean Randall.”

“Dean Randall? What’s he got to do with any of this, John?”

“I think his old cellmate Peter Covett is working with Bates. I think they used his drug to get Bates out, the same way Covett faked his own.”

“Slow down. You think Peter Covett faked his death, and now he’s working with Bates?”

“It makes sense. There was always talk they knew each other, and this whole thing suits Covetts style better than Bates’. Bates was always straightforward. He wanted someone dead, he’d stick a bullet in their brain. Wanted to sell someone to the black market human traders, then they’d disappear and never be heard from again. Covett was the one who liked to play games like this.”

Maldonado was silent for a few seconds. “Get yourselves over there, I’ll get you access by the time you arrive.”

John hung up, and grabbed the spare leg in the same movement as he motioned to Dorian. “Let’s go.”

Maldonado was true to her word, and by the time they arrived at the Cubes, Randall was in a holding cell waiting to be questioned. John had to leave his gun and cellphone at the door, which he wasn’t overly happy about, but went with it anyway.

Randall was sitting when they entered the cell, leaning back in his chair casually as if he wasn’t handcuffed with an armed guard aiming a rifle at his head.

John sat in the chair opposite Randall, while Dorian remained standing. “We want to talk to you about Peter Covett.”

“The Doc? No one’s talked about him since he croaked it a few years back.” Randall tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he studied John.

“Did he really though? Are you sure Covett died?” John asked, leaning forward on his knees.

Randall shrugged. “How should I know? I’m just a simple murderer.”

“You were also his cellmate for three years. If anyone would know, you would.”

Randall didn’t answer immediately, just sat and watched them while chewing his lip. John was about to snap that they didn’t have all day, when he spoke again. “I want some things in return.”

“What makes you think we’re that interested that we’d bargain for information?”

Randall grinned, the sight more than a little unnerving, and leaned forward too, mirroring John’s own posture. “Because you wouldn’t be here unless you thought the Doc was back. And going by the stubble, and the bags under your eyes, and the desperation written all over your face, you’re being played with, and you think he’s involved. Which means you don’t have much time.”

John balled his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palm to stop himself from lashing out at Randall’s overconfidence. “Thought you were just a simple murderer?”

“I’m a simple murderer with a psych degree.”

John glanced over his shoulder at Dorian, before looking back at Randall. “What do you want?”

“Better food. I’m talking steak, and chicken, bread that isn’t two days old. Actual edible food that tastes good. And the occasional conjugal visit wouldn’t hurt either.”

John raised an eyebrow. Compared to what he was expecting, those were fairly simple requests. He looked at Dorian. “Get it sorted.”

“The Doc’s alive. Bribed a guard into passing communications back and forth to some underling on the outside, and got some of that drug he made smuggled in. Took some in the night, and his bribed guard pronounced him dead in the morning. Said he’d had a heart attack in his sleep. No one looked into it.”

John nodded. “And do you know if Covett had contact with someone called Jack Bates in the four months before his death? It would’ve been on the inside.”

Randall spat on the ground. “Don’t talk to me about that son of a bitch. Covett promised he’d send me some of that drug so I could get out too, but here I am, while that bastard Bates is out there too.”

“Before Covett left, did he say anything about where he might be heading? Or if he was planning anything?”

“He kept tight lipped over that stuff; it was all a strictly need to know business. He did say he was going to get out of the City, but he didn’t say where.”

John nodded once more, and stood. “That’s everything we need for now. Enjoy your steak.” He looked at Dorian, and jerked his head towards the door. “Let’s go.” He led the way out, Dorian following a step behind.

“John, you broke a serious rule by agreeing to Randall’s terms before he’d given you any sort of information.” Dorian said after a moment.

John stopped, and turned abruptly. “I would have agreed to break him out of here myself if it meant I could get hold of some sort of information.” He whispered harshly. “We know now that Covett and Bates are working together, which means we have Covett’s people to question too, which gives us a greater chance of getting some more information about where future locations might be.”

“Detective Kennex.” A voice spoke behind him.

“What?” John snapped, spinning back around to face a slightly startled looking guard.

“Captain Maldonado is on the central phone for you, sir. Down at the main desk.”

“Thanks.” John barged past, walking briskly back down to the main office. He already knew what the call was going to be about, and a glance at the time told him not to hope that they’d found anything more than the next video. He picked up the handle “You got the video?”

“Yes. I’ve sent it over to your cell. John, I have to warn you, it’s not pretty.”

“Like any of them have been.” John sighed. “Randall confirmed that Covett is alive, and according to him, he’s also behind Bates’ escape.”

“I’ll get the team onto it, see if we can find any of Covett’s people. I’ll see you back here later.” The line went dead, and John set the phone down. He retrieved his gun and cellphone from the safe, but refused to switch the device back on until they were back in his car. He couldn’t let any of the guards see his weaknesses.

“Would you like me to watch it first?” Dorian asked, after they’d sat in the car in complete silence for ten minutes. “I could you tell you what’s on it, then you could decide if you wish to see it or not.”

John shook his head. “I’m watching the video.”

“No one would think less of you if you didn’t, John. All of us who care for Y/N find them difficult to view, and we do not have the same connection as you do with her.”

“I have to see it. I have to know.” John pulled out his phone, and turned it on. The message from Maldonado came through immediately. John hesitated for only a moment longer, before tapping the play button with his thumb.

_Y/N was tied to a chair behind a small square table, only visible from the chest up. Bates didn’t say anything as he stepped into the frame, the only sound was Y/N’s muffle scream as Bates’ knife slashed one more stripe next to the previous two, the fresh blood trickling down to join the remnants of the dried blood. Bates stepped away again, and Myers moved behind Y/N, but it wasn’t clear what he was doing until he tugged one of her arms free. Y/N tried to struggle with her newly freed limb, but Hallewell joined in, and between them, he and Myers secured her arm to the table with a rope._

_Myers ran a finger along her bare arm, and down to her fingers, tracing them one by one. Y/N was already shaking her head, her muffled ‘no’ clear despite the tape still being across her mouth. Myers smirked at her, and with no further warning, grabbed her index finger and yanked it back._

_The crunch of bone breaking was audible even over Y/N’s scream as Myers held the finger firmly against the back of her hand, smiling evilly the whole time._

_Y/N’s breath was still shuddering when he released it, the digit looking grossly disfigured compared to the rest. Myers motioned towards Hallewell, and backed off as the larger man approached._

_Y/N shook her head as Hallewell grasped her middle finger, trying to wriggle it free from his grasp, but he showed no mercy as he too forced it all the way back. Y/N was crying by the time he let it go, but still no pity was shown to her. Myers returned, laughing joyfully as he broke her ring finger, while Hallewell broke her pinky._

_After the snap of her thumb by Myers, Y/N went limp, her head falling forward, appearing unconscious until Myers walked behind her, and yanked her head back up by her hair. Y/N’s eyes looked bleary, but they widened when they saw what Hallewell had held up._

_Hallewell was grinning like a true maniac as he raised the hammer, and once more Y/N began to thrash, trying desperately to free herself, but the bonds that secured it to the table held fast._

_She screamed again when Hallewell brought it down, the crunch echoing around the room. Myers kept his grip on her head tight, ensuring that Y/N could look nowhere but her hand as Hallewell brought the hammer down on her hand thrice more._

_He only released her when they were done, and her hand was a bloody, broken mess. Y/N’s head dropped forward again as she whimpered softly, and now just out of sight, the sound of Hallewell and Myers laughing mingled in with it._

The footage shook as it came to an end, and it took Dorian placing a hand over his for John to realize that it was his hand that was shaking, not the video. “She’s going to lose the hand. Whatever happens she’s going to lose it, right?”

Dorian nodded. “That is the most likely scenario, unless it was treated immediately after filming, which is most unlikely.”

“Bastards.”

“Synthetic hands are even more advanced than legs, John. It will obviously take a long time to adjust, but eventually it will not impede her life or work physically.”

“If she wants to return to work that is. If they don’t break her first.” John sighed.

“Y/N is a fighter, she proved that with this video. Despite all that pain, she still fought. They won’t break her.”

John turned off the screen, and pocketed the device. He glanced over at Dorian as he started up the car. “I hope you’re right.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains torture in the italics. Skip if you don't want to read!

**Day 4  
**

John leaned over the small sink as he splashed some water onto his face. The coldness of it barely did anything to refresh and wake him up a little. He knew he was running on fumes and coffee, but he still couldn’t bring himself to go home. He hated the thought of all that space, empty, without Y/N there. Before her it had just been a place to sleep, but she’d made it feel like a home, and now…

John sighed. If the worst did happen he’d have to move. It would be impossible for him to continue living there, being haunted even more than he would be already.

“John?” John looked up at Dorian’s reflection in the mirror as the DRN walked into the restroom behind him. “You have been in here eleven minutes longer than is necessary to change your leg, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” John huffed, grabbing the drained leg that he’d propped up against the sink next to him. “Take this down to Rudy’s with you when you go back there tonight.” He passed the limb over to Dorian as he moved past him towards the door.

“We got anything on Covett’s men yet?” John asked Valerie once he was back on the floor.

“Not yet. We have names, but our foot officers haven’t been able to find any.” Valerie replied, looking over her shoulder at John. “Our tech teams are saying that they’re closing in on the next location though.”

John nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he glanced at the time. Midday already. Another day wasted. If they didn’t get a break, or start figuring out the locations a lot sooner, they’d never find Y/N. He went back to his desk, sitting heavily in his seat. He drummed his fingers on the desk restlessly as he went back over every file they had, searching for some sort of clue. It was always the little details that broke a case.

A flurry of movement in the center caught John’s attention, and he jumped up from his chair.

“We’ve found it.” Valerie confirmed without John even having to ask.

John shouldn’t hope. He knew that Y/N wouldn’t be in the building, that the place would be cold and empty by now, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t rational or logical, but as they stood and watched the tactical team clear each room, John still found himself clinging to that tiny piece of hope. And when they inevitably only found one more memory stick, John still felt like he’d been sucker punched in the stomach.

“Get the video up.” He ordered before everyone could start with the sympathetic looks and the hushed sorrys again.

_The angle of the camera was different. It was positioned above Y/N from the chest up. She was secured onto an old fashioned operating table. She was unconscious, and the duct tape had been removed to reveal chapped lips. No warning was given before a hand came into shot, the knife it was wielding carving a fourth vertical slash into Y/N’s skin. The pain of it jolted Y/N awake with a shot, and for a few moments she looked completely disorientated. She groaned, realization dawning as she heard her own unmuffled voice. Y/N blinked, spotting the camera directly above her._

_“J-”_

_Y/N was abruptly interrupted by a thin cloth covering her face, and held in place by two hands either side of her head. Water was poured over her, and Y/N jerked, struggling against whatever bonds were keeping her in place to try and get away from it. She shook her head, or tried to, her whole body convulsing as water seeped through the cloth, not enough to drown, but enough to make it feel like she was._

_The water and cloth were gone with an equal suddenness as they’d appeared, and Y/N coughed, spluttering out water, a few droplets hitting the lens of the camera._

_Her chest heaved. “Jo-”_

_Y/N’s shout was quieted by the cloth returning, and even as the water began to pour again, she kept up fighting. When the cloth disappeared once more, Y/N managed to turn her head and spit the water at whoever had been pouring it. The crack of a hand slapping her hard across the face echoed around the room._

_Blood trickled down a split lip as they continued again, not stopping the third time until Y/N’s struggles were weak and almost non-existent. Y/N sucked in sharp, stuttering breaths as she was finally allowed to breathe again, turning her head away from the direction of the water to finish coughing the rest up._

_It looked as if she thought that was the end, but the hands with the cloth reappeared, holding her head still as even more water was poured over her. It was relentless, the process repeating itself a fourth, fifth, sixth time, not stopping until Y/N was too drained to try and protest, and could only splutter up the water after each round._

_The camera stayed focused on her when they’d finally deemed she’d had enough. Y/N somehow found the strength to look up to the camera, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “John…”_

_Another harsh blow silenced her, and this time Y/N didn’t look back up._

_“Time’s running out, Detective.”_

.John stood still, staring at Y/N’s broken expression, his own tears burning at his eyes. She’d called out for him. Given the freedom to speak for the first time, and her first word spoken was his name. 

_“Time’s running out, Detective.”_

Bates’ voice echoed in his mind. He was right. They were running out of time, and Y/N was the one suffering for their incompetence.

“There will be no lasting damage, John. It was an horrific experience to go through, but there would be no damage.” Dorian spoke softly next to him, stopping John from dwelling too much.

“I know.” John tore his gaze away from the screen to look at Dorian. “Let’s get out of here. Maybe we can track down some of Covett’s acquaintances.” John made to lead the way out, but he was interrupted by Rudy rushing in.

“Glad…glad I caught you.” He panted, leaning on a chair to catch his breath. “Got something you need to see.”

“What is it?” John frowned, following Rudy as he pushed himself upright again and made his way to the nearest computer.

“Hold on…” Rudy fell silent as he concentrated at the computer and brought everything up on the main screen. “Do you see it?”

John’s frown turned into an outright scowl as he glared at the four screenshots Rudy had pulled up. The first was from Bates’ introductory video, and the rest were from the last three days videos. “What am I meant to be seeing here, Rudy?”

“All the rooms, they’re different, right? Dirty and dingy, but different.”

“Yeah…that’s the whole point of this cat and mouse game.”

Rudy shook his head, hitting a few buttons on the keyboard. “That’s what I thought too. Until I caught this.” The screenshot from the second day came to the front and enlarged itself.

John studied it closely, but still saw nothing other than Y/N strung up. “I’m not seeing it.”

“Look closer. Ignore Y/N for the moment, and look at the rest.”

John was about to snap when Dorian spoke. “There. Look at Hallewell’s right hand, John.”

John did, and gaped when he realised the fingers of Hallewell’s right hand were gone in the shot. “How didn’t we notice he was missing most of his right hand before?”

“Because he isn’t. Look.” A few more buttons were pressed, and a second screenshot appeared. “This is the very next frame.”

John looked, then turned between Dorian and Rudy, confused. “All his fingers are there again. What does it mean?”

“It means it’s been edited.” Rudy explained. “I was going through each video frame by frame when I noticed it, and once I did, I ran some software I’ve recently developed that’s designed to detect the most sophisticated of editing in videos. This is what it found.”

John turned back to look at the screen, his eyes widening when the entire room around Y/N and the two men pixelated grossly, then smoothed back out. To show a completely different room. John stared, but it only took a few seconds for him to get the implication. “Are you saying that this video wasn’t filmed in the building we found it in?”

“Yes. But there’s more. Once I discovered it on this video, I went back and ran the rest.” Rudy zoomed out so all four screenshots were in view. He typed something, and John watched as each one changed before his eyes.

“It’s the same room.” Dorian said for him. “All four videos were shot in the same place?”

Rudy nodded. “Yes. My theory is that they’re making the videos in the building, editing them to look different, then someone’s leaving them in the appropriate building. I’d say there were being sent to a middleman to download onto the memory stick.”

“It would explain how they’ve been able to do everything so quickly and efficiently.” John rubbed a hand over his face. “But if they’re being sent from somewhere, does that mean you can get a lock on the location?”

“Easily, but not from the videos or memory sticks alone. I’d need access to laptop they were sent to.”

“Okay…okay…” John paced as he thought. “We’ve just had today’s video. Rudy, take it, and make sure it’s edited the same way. Then get to work on figuring where the video was supposed to have been filmed, and use whatever methods you’ve been using for that to try and find out where they’re actually being filmed. We still need to follow their breadcrumbs for now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try and and skip the last few and pay them a surprise visit.”

“Right, on it.”

Dorian placed a hand on John’s arm. “I’m going to go with Rudy, John. We’ll be able to work faster together.”

“Yeah. Good.” John gave a quick nod to the two men, before looking back at the four images that were still on screen. They finally had something to go on, something that could potentially put them in the front, or at least leave them equal to Bates and Covett. John focused in on Y/N’s face. “We will find you.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains torture in the italics. Skip if you don't want to read!

**Day 5  
**

John rubbed at his eyes and stifled yet another yawn. He was exhausted, stubbornness being the only thing keeping him awake at his desk. He had considered going into the break room to rest his eyes for a while, just to take the edge off, but he couldn’t. Even the thought of resting felt wrong when Y/N was out there suffering, so John forced himself onwards, keeping himself up with copious amounts of coffee and energy drinks.

He looked over Rudy’s latest report. The latest video had been edited too, Rudy confirming that it had also been filmed in the same location as the rest. He’d yet to figure out the location however. Unlike the rooms the videos had been edited to show, this one held no secret clues, no windows to examine skylines from, nothing. The walls and floor were just bare, grey metal. Exactly like few hundred other buildings in the City.

“You should go and sleep, John.” Dorian said, coming to sit next to him.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re exhausted.”

“I said I’m fine!” John snapped, cringing at his own irritability. “I’m fine, Dorian, and I can’t rest now. Not when we’re so close to running out of time.”

Dorian didn’t look happy, but didn’t protest further. “I heard that they are one hour away of finding the next location.”

“Yeah, I heard that too.” Before they found out the latest twist in Bates’ game, it would’ve been too late in the day for him to have much hope of finding Y/N in the location, but knowing in full certainty that she wouldn’t be there left John feeling odd, empty. He tried to ignore it, telling himself that soon,  _soon_ , they would find Y/N and he’d be able to hold her again.

Dorian must’ve known what John was thinking, by now John had long given up trying to school his expressions, he was too stressed and tired to even think about it, but to his credit, the DRN didn’t tell him that it was going to be okay, or any of the other sympathies he’d grown so used to hearing.

It was a little over an hour later when Maldonado stepped out of her office, and walked over to John’s desk. “We’ve found the next video. The head of the tactical team watched it, and he’s advised that maybe you skip this one out. It’s not pleasant, John.” She told them in a hushed voice.

John looked over at Dorian, before turning back to Maldonado. “I want to see it, whatever it is.”

Maldonado nodded. “Alright, but come and watch it in my office. I think you’re going to want the privacy.”

John’s stomach lurched as he rose and followed Maldonado, but he swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise with him. Maldonado hadn’t looked this serious, or concerned, since the day they’d received Bates’ first message. Which meant she was worried about how he’d react.

Maldonado motioned to the chair in front of her desk. “Sit down, John.”

“I’m fine standing, Captain.”

“Sit.” Maldonado’s tone didn’t leave room for argument, and John knew better than to try to, so sat reluctantly while Maldonado pulled up the video.

_Y/N was tied to a chair behind the table again, her arms bound behind her back and gagged once more. She was conscious, her eyes following Bates as he moved into view and walked slowly around her, until he came to stop directly behind the chair. He grabbed Y/N’s hair in one hand, yanking her head back harshly, in the same motion as he sliced at her chest with his other knife wielding hand. The cut was diagonal, slashing across the previous four wounds and reopening them. Behind the tape, Y/N screamed, while Bates just stared down the camera and smiled._

_When Y/N had calmed down, Bates released her and stepped back to let Hallewell and Myers enter. He moved to the side, staying in frame, but ensuring that the view of Y/N wasn’t blocked either._

_“We’ve hit upon a slight problem, Detective Kennex. After the events of the day before last, I’m sure you can remember it, Detective Y/L/N has developed a rather nasty infection in her hand.” Bates looked over to Y/N, watching quietly as Hallewell and Myers freed an arm from behind Y/N’s back. Her hand was misshapen and hideous looking, swollen, battered and bruised, with injuries from where Hallewell had broken the skin with the hammer visible. Y/N’s forearm was secured to the table tightly, leaving no freedom for any sort of mobility._

_Bates turned back to look at the lens. “None of us want said infection to spread, do we? We all want to keep our lovely Detective alive. So we’re going to treat her, and I thought you might appreciate watching it, Detective Kennex.” Bates turned, stepping out of view to leave the sole focus on Y/N._

_Myers was whispering something inaudible in Y/N’s ear, while Hallewell could be heard moving around just out of view. When he finally came closer again, Y/N’s eyes widened when she saw the blade he was holding. It was curved, sharp and glinted in the light, and the sight of it made Y/N shake her head and try to pull away, but it got her nowhere._

_“Come now, little mouse, don’t struggle. Don’t want to make him miss.” Bates said from behind the camera. Y/N froze, caught between looking at Bates, Hallewell and the scimitar._

_Y/N’s gaze eventually stuck on the shining metal, watching as Hallewell crept closer. Hallewell stopped next to her, and gripped the handle in both hands as he raised it. Y/N was crying, but couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from it all._

_There was a dull thud as the scimitar embedded itself in the table between Y/N’s hand and the rest of her arm. Y/N didn’t scream again, just looked down her arm in shock. Y/N saw the blood, staring for one, two, three seconds, then passed out, going completely limp in her restraints._

_The camera was quickly moved away from her, and Bates held it up to himself. In the background movement could now be heard. “Worry not, Detective, we’ll take good care of your love, patch her up nicely. Don’t want anything else happening do we?” Bates grinned. “Until tomorrow.”_

John couldn’t sit still, he shot up from his seat and began pacing. “Those goddamn sons of bitches, when I get my hands on them, I’m going to cut them up, see how they like it.” He raged, fighting down the temptation to hit something, anything.

“John, calm down. As much as I hate to say it, but Bates wasn’t lying; they need Y/N alive still, so they will take care of her.” Maldonado moved to stand in front of John, forcing him to stop his pacing.

John sighed, “I know, I know. I just hate it.” And he did. He hated having to rely on them to take care of Y/N, hated having to be grateful that they had that damned twisted Doctor with them.

“They’ll get what’s coming to them.” Maldonado looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “They will.”

John nodded, “I’ll make sure they will.” He motioned towards the door with his head. “Let’s go, Dorian.”

They stepped out of Maldonado’s office, and John knew immediately from the looks everyone gave him that they’d all seen the video too. He cleared his throat, “Take teams and head out. There’s still plenty of the city we haven’t covered, and we have to find Bates’ and Covett’s men.” He watched with something close to satisfaction as everyone, including Detective Paul, snapped to activity.

“Detective Kennex, pardon my interruption, but I do not believe your order to be correct in this situation.”

John sensed the rest of the floor freeze as he turned to the face the MX who had spoken. “You’re questioning my orders?”

“Yes, Detective. Given the current circumstances it would be better not to deploy most of our officers on one case.”

John scowled, “The current circumstances?”

“Detective Y/L/N’s disappearance. At this point in the case it would be a waste of manpower to focus all officers on this particular case.” The MX stared blankly at John, seemingly still oblivious to the red John was seeing.

“You think it’s a waste of time searching for one of our best Detectives?” He snarled, squaring up to the robot.

“John, let’s go.” Dorian was at his side, trying to pull him away, but John shrugged him off.

“Answer me! Do you think it’s a waste of time!?” He was almost shouting now, but he couldn’t have kept his voice lowered even if he’d wanted.

“At this stage, as Detective Y/L/N has been missing nearly six days on top of her now serious injury, the statistical probability of finding her alive is less than twenty-two point zero eight percent.”

“And if you don’t shut up, the statistical probability that I’ll shoot your head off is one hundred percent!” John yelled, his hand already on his gun.

“Your anger suggests that you agree with me, but will not accept it, Detective.”

“John-” Dorian tried to stop him, but for once John moved quicker. His gun was out of its holster before he knew it, and the shot it fired was deafeningly loud in the closed environment. The bullet destroyed the MX’s head, bits of metal and blue liquid flying everywhere as it crumpled to the ground.

“ANYONE ELSE!?” John flew back around to face the rest of the room, gun still in hand. “Anyone else think this is a waste of time, and we should just leave Y/N to die!?”

“KENNEX!” Maldonado stormed out of her official and straight up to him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

“It said it was a waste of time looking for Y/N!’

“The MX was wrong, and we are going to keep looking for Y/N, but you’re going home John.” Maldonado’s gaze softened slightly as she looked up at him.

“No, I can’t-”

“You will. John, you haven’t slept since this whole thing started. You haven’t changed, haven’t shaved, and I doubt you’ve had anything better than coffee to keep you going. Go home, rest, I’ll call as soon as we have anything.” Maldonado secured John with the no nonsense look, and John sighed, defeated.

“Alright,” he sighed, re-holstering his gun.

“Good. Dorian you go with him, make sure he actually gets to his apartment and eats something that at least looks like it has a nutrient in it.”

“Yes, Captain.” Dorian nodded quickly, then followed John as he stormed down the stairs and out of the building.

“Here,” John tossed Dorian his car keys, “you should drive.” He was still angry, but he wasn’t stupid, and John knew it wouldn’t be safe for him to drive. Not when all he could think about was what that dumb bunch of wiring had said. They had less than two days to find Y/N, and the reality was that it was unlikely now. John turned his head to look out the passenger’s window, just so he could hide the tears that stung at his eyes. Dorian must have noticed his quiet sniff, but said nothing.

John looked up at his building as Dorian came to a stop in front of it, his stomach churning in somersaults. He remembered the damage he’d caused, only a few nights ago, but somehow felt like forever ago, and thought about how they’d have to clean at least some up before they could do anything.

He led the way to his apartment, entering his code to unlock the door. Expecting to see carnage awaiting him, John stood in shock when he instead saw a neat apartment. It was bare, a lot emptier than it had been less than a week ago with all the ruined possessions gone, but it was neat and tidy, and contained all the furniture that was necessary. He looked to Dorian.

“The Captain sent a clean up crew after I informed her of the state your apartment was in.”

“Right, thanks,” John mumbled, going over to his freshly arranged hanged clothes, and grabbed a couple things. “Shower.”

“I’ll cook something,” Dorian called after him.

John leaned against the bathroom door once it had closed behind him, and took a few moments to close his eyes and enjoy the silence. It would have been far better if Y/N had been there, but after spending days constantly around people, it did feel good to have some silence.

He pushed himself forward, dumping his clean clothes to one side so he could turn on the shower to its hottest setting. As he waited, John turned to look himself over in the mirror. Maldonado had been right. He looked terrible. Pale, dark circles under his eyes, stubble that was threatening to break into a beard, hair sticking up all over the place. He did need rest.

Quickly, John stripped down, throwing the dirty clothes into the corner, and stepped into the shower. Usually, the water would’ve been too hot for him, but for now it was perfect. John could feel it pound against his tensed neck and shoulders, easing the pain there fractionally. He was glad that his leg was waterproof too. If he’d had to sit down, John wasn’t sure if he’d have had the energy to stand again.

John was efficient, but didn’t waste time scrubbing himself down. He turned off the water, and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He belatedly realized that the white fluffy material had been one of towels Y/N had bought to replace his mediocre ones. John dropped down onto the closed seat of the toilet and sobbed. His shoulders shook as he cried quietly into hands. He couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t hold back the flood of tears, or even think about trying.

By the time his tears had run out, John felt drained and even more bone weary than before. It took considerable effort to push himself back to his feet, and even more to go back to the sink and shave without injuring himself. He tugged on the clean clothes, and exited the bathroom to be met with the smell of noodles wafting from the counter top.

“Knowing you, I guessed that it would be the only thing you would eat,” Dorian said from where he was standing behind the counter.

John huffed in response, and slid into his seat. He looked down at the bowl of food thoughtfully. A part of him was hungry, and he knew he should eat, but the thought made his stomach roll. Still, he persevered, and began to eat. It tasted good, better than he expected, even if each mouthful was a force. “Not bad for a robot,” he muttered when he was done.

“Careful, John, that almost sounded like a compliment,” Dorian retorted, and John couldn’t help but smile.

“Almost being the key word there.”

Dorian smiled back. “Try and sleep. If I hear anything I’ll tell you immediately.”

“You’d better.” John shot a glare at the DRN and made his way over to the bed. “Guess you’re happy; you’ve always wanted to stay here.”

“And I’m already wondering why,” Dorian teased back, following John. “Give me your leg, I can put it to charge.”

“I’m not an invalid, I can do it.”

“I know, but it will be easier.”

John hesitated a moment, but then plopped down onto the bed and disengaged his leg. “If you even think about tucking me in, I’ll shoot your head off too.” He grumbled, passing Dorian the limb.

“I couldn’t think of anything worse.” Dorian set the leg up to charge while John settled back into bed. “Goodnight, John.”.

“Yeah, night.” John closed his eyes and listened to Dorian softly walk away. He didn’t fall asleep immediately, he was still too worked up despite his tiredness, but having Dorian around did help. When John cracked an eye open, he could see the DRN sitting on the couch, completely still, almost looking like he’d been deactivated if it wasn’t for the lights dancing along the side of his face.

It was with that knowledge, knowing he wasn’t completely alone, did John fall into an uneasy sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6

**Day 6  
**

_Y/N was there. John could see her at the end of the corridor. Battered and bruised, but there, and John was so close to getting her. “Y/N!” He called, starting to sprint. He didn’t care about looking for men waiting to ambush him, or bombs, or tripwires. He just had to get to Y/N. John ran down the hall, going as fast he could, but Y/N was as far away as ever. Why wasn’t she getting closer? Why couldn’t he reach her?_

_A body slammed into his, wrestling him to the ground. No. No he couldn’t let anyone stop him from getting to Y/N. “Get off!” He bellowed, trying to fight off his attacker. “Y/N!”_

_“John!” Y/N called back to him, her voice weak and desperate. “John!”_

_“Y/N!” John thrashed, but the person holding him down was stronger than he was. “I’m coming!”_

_“John!”_

“John!”

John blinked his eyes and he was back in his bedroom, breathing harshly. Dorian was above him, holding his arms in a tight grip to stop John from trying to gauge his eyes out.

“You were having a nightmare, John,” Dorian told him, as calm as ever as he carefully released John from his grasp.

John rubbed the cold sweat off his face while his breathing slowly returned to normal. “I’ve never lashed out during a nightmare before.”

“You were not violent until I came to wake you.”

John frowned, still attempting to clear his head. “What? Why were you waking me?” He asked as he looked to his clock. Four am.

“We’ve found the next location. It’s only eight minutes from here.”

That woke John up. “Pass me my leg. Now.” He pushed himself upright, grabbing his leg as soon as Dorian handed it over, and clicked it on. Then he was up on his feet, pulling on clothes as quickly as possible, any other task forgotten. They weren’t important. This was.

John was still pulling on his gun holster as they rushed out of his apartment. “We might be able to catch this middle man, or at least get his computer. Find out where Y/N is.”

“Captain Maldonado has already dispatched a team to the location. They’ll meet us there,” Dorian informed him as they jumped into John’s car. “I’ve downloaded the co-ordinates to your GPS.”

John nodded, and set his sirens on loud as he took off. Dorian had said the location was eight minutes away. John got them there in four.

The apartment block wasn’t deserted like the other buildings, but it was just as tall. “Do we have any idea what floor?” He asked, pulling on his vest.

“Rudy estimated that it would either be the fourteenth of fifteenth floor, and my records show all but one apartment on those two floors is unoccupied; the third to the right of the stairs on the fifteenth floor.”

“Right, that’s where we’ll head to first. The rest of you, cover the rest of the floors, the roof, and all possible exits. It’s likely that someone we need is in there, and we can’t let them escape.”

There was a chorus of ‘yes sirs’, and John looked to Dorian as he grasped his gun.

“Shall I lead you in?” Dorian asked, and John nodded.

They took the stairs, the rest of the officers dropping off gradually behind them to secure each floor as the rest ascended. Even when they reached the right floor, everything was quiet. John motioned for the others to keep heading up, while he and Dorian remained on the floor. Dorian motioned silently to the empty apartment, and together, the covered each side of the door. John raised his gun ready as he once more nodded his assent to Dorian.

The DRN moved quickly, and the door may as well have been made from paper with the ease he kicked it down.

John span into the room in time to see a man at a desk shoot upright. “Freeze!” John yelled, doing a sweep of the room as he moved closer. The place was empty except for a desk, a now knocked over chair, and a laptop.

“There’s no one else here,” Dorian told him.

“Where are they!?” John demanded, aiming his gun at the man.

The man just smiled and popped a pill into his mouth

“No!” Both he and Dorian reached the man at the same time, just as he collapsed to the floor. “Where’s Bates? Covett?”

Dorian looked up at him and shook his head. “He’s dead.”

“Dammit!” John kicked the discarded chair, sending it spinning across the room.

“The laptop’s still here, John. We should be able to track the location from there.” Dorian straightened up, stepping over the body to get to the laptop. “The video’s here, John. Do you want me to play it?”

John hesitated a moment. It could be quicker if they skipped watching it, but a nagging feeling in the back of John’s mind told him that they shouldn’t. He set his gun down, and joined Dorian. “Play it.”

_Y/N was back in the chair, but there was no table this time. One arm was bound behind her back, while the other, the one now missing a hand, was supported by a sling to her front. The injury was wrapped up in a bandage, and other than looking completely drained, Y/N didn’t look any worse than usual._

_Bates was standing behind her, knife in hand once again. Y/N cringed at the sixth slash, but didn’t cry out._

_“Greetings once again, Detective Kennex. I had expected to see you in person before now, but perhaps you don’t care for my little mouse as much as I thought you did,” Bates smiled, running his fingers through Y/N’s hair. She winced when he came across a tangle and yanked his hand through. “But never mind. You only have until midnight to find Detective Y/L/N here, so this whole thing will be over soon. And because this is the last video, I thought I’d give you a little treat.” Bates ripped off the tape covering Y/N’s mouth in one harsh tug. “Go on, little mouse, you have two minutes to say your goodbyes.”_

_“John,” Y/N’s voice was hoarse, like she hadn’t had water for some time. There were tears in her eyes, but she quickly closed them and took a few deep breaths. When she looked back down the camera, the tears were gone, replaced with a look of steel. “Don’t you go blaming yourself for this, okay? I know you’ve been looking, that you’ve been doing everything possible to find me, but it isn’t your fault that you couldn’t. I know you’ll be watching this too, Dorian, so you’d better look after him for me.”_

_Y/N sniffed and took another breath. “You keep going, John. Do all the things you’ve wanted to do. Buy that cabin you were talking about. Just don’t buy the first one you see, you’re impulsive like that, look around, find the perfect one in the perfect place that doesn’t have gigantic moth balls that’ll eat everything. Make sure the place is clean, that there’s no skeletons in the closet, okay? Do that for me?” Y/N licked her lips and smiled. “I love you, John. I love you so much. For alw-” Y/N was cut off by Bates shoving a bunched up cloth into her mouth._

_“Take a good look, Detective. Unless you find us by midnight, this will be the last time you see Detective Y/L/N or myself. Farewell.”_

The video cut off, and Dorian immediately looked to John. “What was Y/N talking about, John? You hate cabins.”

“I know. It was code.” John pulled out his cell. “Captain? It’s Kennex. Listen to me, there’s a bomb in the precinct.”

“A bomb? What’s going on, John?”

“The latest video, Y/N managed to get a message through to me. Since we’ve started working together, we’ve had this code, designed for hostage situations so we could communicate without causing suspicion. And that’s what she did just now. There’s a bomb. A big one.”

There was a pause while Maldonado absorbed the news. “How do you know it’s in the precinct?”

“It’s plain to see. The window to the left of Y/N clearly shows the building behind ours. I’m guessing it’s going to be on the eighteenth floor, the one that’s been under renovation for months.”

“The one that no one’s been allowed in.”

John turned back to look at the laptop, but Dorian had turned it and was busy with it. “It’s the perfect plan. All week we’ve been scattered across the City looking for Y/N, and leaving the precinct nearly empty and unguarded. Now this final video, with the supposed next location clear, it would’ve meant that we would’ve recalled our men, so when the bomb went off-”

“-the casualties would be a devastating number.” Maldonado finished for him. “I’ll send a team up to look for it.”

“Be careful. Bates and Covett had no way of knowing when we’d find this video, so I doubt it’s on a timer, there might be tripwire or something else to set it off. Something subtle.”

“John,” Dorian interrupted, looking up from the laptop. “This is the laptop the video file was sent to directly from the source.”

“You mean you can track it back to where they’re holding, Y/N?” John asked, keeping the line open with Maldonado as he walked back over.

“I already have.” Dorian looked serious, more serious than John had ever seen him.

He looked between the laptop and Dorian. “Where are they?”

“She’s on the other side of the wall, John.”


	9. Chapter 9

John stood next to Dorian and the Watch Commander on top of the wall, looking out over the Old Town. The derelict buildings looked deserted, but John knew better. There were people over there, people far worse than those on his side. Bates and Covett must have had either very good contacts, or be batshit insane to go over there. **  
**

“I highly advise against this, Detective,” the Watch Commander said, drawing John’s attention away from the buildings.

“Trust me, it isn’t something I want to do, but I have to,” he answered. His cell beeped, and he quickly tapped it. “Kennex.”

“John, you were right,” Maldonado spoke from the other end of the line, “there is a bomb. One big enough to take out our building, and every other one in a three block radius. There was a hidden tripwire too; if we hadn’t been looking for it, we’d never have seen it.”

“Have you disarmed it?”

“We’re on it now. There’s a live feed linking it back to Bates’ location, so they’d know when it went off. Rudy’s working on altering it so it’ll appear live even when it isn’t.”

“Good. That’ll buy Dorian and me some more time.”

“You’re at the wall?”

“Yeah,” John looked back out across the Old Town. “It’s quiet out there at the moment.”

“Be careful out there, John, both of you. I wish I could send more officers with you-”

“-but you can’t. I know, Captain. We’ll manage just fine.”

“Call me once you find Y/N; I’ll send a chopper for you, but you won’t have much time.”

The call ended, and John turned to Dorian. “Are you sure about this? I won’t blame you if you’d rather stay.”

Dorian pulled on one of the hoodies they’d been given, and pulled the hood up. “Y/N asked me to look after you, and that’s what I intend to do.”

John nodded with a slight smile, and mimicked Dorian’s actions by pulling on his own hoodie. “Any advice?” He asked the Watch Commander.

“Other than don’t go? Make sure you’re done by nightfall, that’s when the really bad characters come out to play, the ones that travel in packs. And keep your heads down and covered. Even the lone wolves don’t like cops, and they like robot cops even less. They won’t hesitate to kill either of you.” The Watch Commander secured two lengths of rope to the top of the wall as he spoke, then turned back to the other two men. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” John finished securing his harness, and pulled on his gloves so could grip the rope tightly. He took a deep breath, and jumped off, sliding down with relative ease.

John landed on the ground seconds before Dorian did, and looked around cautiously even as he removed the harness and let the Watch Commander pull everything back up. He checked to make sure his hood was still covering his face properly and glanced over to Dorian. “Do you know where we’re heading?”

“From the blueprints I could find of the Old Town, I believe that Y/N is being held in an old fish factory on the south-easterly side.”

“So we’re going to have to go straight through the middle?” John asked. Dorian nodded, and John sighed. “Of course we do. Come on, let’s go. Don’t draw your weapon, but keep it close and at the ready.”

Dorian nodded again, and the two of them set off. They kept to the shadows as much as possible, but tried to avoid doorways and openings, and anywhere else someone could be hiding. Dorian led the way, leaving a part of John’s mind to wander.

He thought about Y/N, about how close he was to finding her and about how she likely had no idea of that. She could’ve told him where she was, given some sort of clue, but instead she’d used her limited time to save thousands of lives over her own. It was a purely unselfish action, to sacrifice herself, and her baby. If there was still a baby. Maybe that was why she’d done it. Maybe she’d known she’d lost the baby, and didn’t want to face him. Did she think he’d be mad? No. Y/N would know that John would never blame her for something happening. But she was in a compromised state, who knew what was going through her head?

John couldn’t wait to wrap his arms around her, and hold her close, and tell her that everything was okay again.

A shot fired not that far in the distance, both of them immediately ducking down behind an ancient dumpster that reeked of more than just spoiled food. They exchanged a silent look, drawing their guns out simultaneously, and waited. A minute later there was another shot, followed this time by a pained shout. John could feel his heart thunder as he listened, a barking laughter coming soon after a loud crash that suggested whoever had been shot had now fallen.

The silence that fell after the laughter had ceased felt even deeper and more ominous than before. John waited, silently counting to five minutes, before gesturing for Dorian to start moving again. They quickened their pace, ducking and diving from one discarded object to the next, and thankfully not coming across anyone else.

“There.” The sun was starting to set when Dorian crouched down behind an old car, and pointed to a building in front of them. “That’s the building.”

John studied it. It looked as deserted as the rest, but then he caught a brief flicker of light from a window on the seventh floor, before it was quickly exstinguished . “Someone’s home,” he whispered.

“What’s the plan?”

“We go in, clear each floor as we go, and hope there aren’t too many people in there.”

“Sounds foolproof.”

“I’m all ears if you have any better ideas?”

Dorian shook his head. “No.”

“Then let’s go.” John kept low as he ran the short distance from the car to the edge of the factory, and pressed himself against the wall. Dorian joined him, and they waited silently, but there was no sound or movement that indicated that their presence had been noted.

John crept his way to the door. It was open. Keeping his gun at the ready, John motioned for Dorian to go in first, before running in himself. He swept the room, using the light of his gun to see by, but came up with nothing. Dorian shook his head when he’d completed his sweep.

Jerking his head up, John and Dorian made their way towards the stairs. Their footsteps only made the tiniest of echoes as they ascended, guns raised as they took a sharp turn around the corner. The next floor was empty too, so they kept working their up.

They were on the stairs leading up to the sixth floor when they first heard voices.

Creeping up, John peered around the corner to see Myers and Hallewell sitting there, drinking beers and laughing as if they hadn’t spent an entire week tormenting someone. John gritted his teeth, he wanted to make them suffer, but waiting too long could give the others time to hurt Y/N further.

Counting down silently, he and Dorian both ran onto the floor on his one, and immediately opened fire. He caught Myers a few times, sending the smaller man to the floor, but somehow Hallewell managed to dodge most of the fire. He grabbed his own gun, and began to shoot back. John ducked back just in time to watch a bullet fly past his head.

Hallewell had been focused on John, so didn’t even see it coming when Dorian snuck up behind him and put a bullet in his head. The larger man fell to the ground with a crash, John watching until movement next to him caught his attention.

Myers had dragged himself along the floor, and in an attempt to bring John down, had stabbed him in the leg. His fake one. John kicked Myers, sending him thudding into the wall, and yanked out the knife. Walking over, John crouched over him. “This is for Y/N.” He growled, grabbing Myers’ head, and twisting it sharply in one quick movement. The snap of his neck breaking was oddly gratifying.

“What’s going on down here?!” A third new voice shouted, coming down the next flight of stairs before either John or Dorian could hide. “We’re under attack!” He managed to shout before Dorian took him down.

Commotion sprang up above them as shouts cried out, and feet hammered down the stairs. “I’ll distract them. You get Y/N,” Dorian told him, already moving to the foot of the stairs.

John didn’t like it, but he couldn’t give Bates a chance to escape either. He crouched down near Hallewell’s body, watching as another six men came barrelling into view. Dorian got the first shots out, managing to take one out, before ducking out of the way. The other five men followed him, not noticing John in the corner.

John held his breath, waiting for an opening, then took off. He sprinted towards the stairs then up them. The seventh floor was empty, but John recognized the chair and other equipment from the videos. A muffled shout from the edge of the next flight of stairs caught his attention, and John began to sprint again. He reached the bottom just in time to catch two figures round the corner of the next floor.

“Covett!” He yelled, taking the steps three at a time as he bounded up them. His gun already aimed, John had no warning of the metal bar about to hit his hand until it did. He dropped his gun, the weapon getting kicked to the opposite side of the room as the bar swung down again, this time catching his back and sending him tumbling to the ground too.

Covett aimed for a third time, but John managed to catch it before the blow landed, and used Covett’s surprise to knock him off his feet. John rolled them, attempting to twist the bar free from Covett’s grasp, but the bastard was strong and kept a tight grip. Covett jerked his arms up suddenly, the surprise of it jerking John’s own hold loose. His closed fist caught John’s jaw hard, sending him reeling back. Covett used the momentum to push himself forward, taking aim for John’s head with the metal bar. John just about managed to block it with his arm, and kicked out at Covett with his synthetic leg.

The kick landed, sending Covett back onto his back and gasping for air. John launched himself over, his own fist slamming into Covett’s face. Blood gushed as the blow broke Covett’s nose, but John didn’t stop there. He kept punching. “This. Is. For. Y/N. And. Our. Child.” He snarled between punches.

“It would be best if you ceased with your assault now, Detective.” A voice said from behind him, followed by the audible click of a gun.

Slowly, John rose, and turned around to face Bates. “You piece of shit. How much of this was you?”

“All of it, Detective. I used Doctor Covett’s knowledge and resources, yes, but this plan was all my own.” Bates grinned at John, scar twisting, and aimed the gun at him.

“You never liked games. Games was Covett’s style.”

“That is true, and I still despise them, but this whole thing was a suitable means to an end.”

“You mean the bomb in the precinct? We’ve found it, Bates, and it’s been disarmed. There’ll be no explosion, no casualties, no big headline. It’s over.”

Bates’ grin turned into a scowl. “Yet I can still kill you, and go through with the rest of my plan. Do you know how much people are willing to pay to own a Detective? Enough to pay your salary for five lifetimes.”

John snarled and took a step closer.

“What is it you plan to do, Detective Kennex? You’re unarmed, and even with that synthetic leg of yours, you won’t reach me before I shoot you. You can’t kill me.”

“No, I can’t,” John smiled, then started to laugh at the confusion on the others face. “But she can.”

Bates turned sharply, and John watched as Y/N slid Bates’ own knife into his gut. From his angle, John could just about make out the shock on Bates’ face.

Y/N pulled the knife out, only to stab Bates again. “I win,” she hissed, repeating the motion another five times, before letting Bates fall to the ground with a final twist of the knife. She swayed as she looked down at his lifeless body, only tearing her eyes away when John took another step forward. “John…”

Y/N’s legs gave out, and John leaped over the body on the floor to catch her. “I’m here, Y/N, I’ve got you,” he whispered, scooping her up into his arms.  

Movement by the entranceway had Jobn spinning around, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw only Dorian. The DRN was battered, looking as if he’d taken his fair share of rounds, but he was in one piece. He scanned the bodies on the floor, before looking at John.

“All threats have been neutralised,” he told John.

“Get hold of Maldonado. We need a chopper out of here. Cell’s in my pocket.” John adjusted his hold on Y/N so he was holding her more securely to his chest, and kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay now, sweetheart,” he whispered, letting Y/N’s head rest against his shoulder.

“John? What’s going on?” Maldonado asked from John’s speaker.

“We’ve got Y/N, she needs medical treatment quickly, but she’s alive. Bates and his associates are dead,” John answered.

“Good. I’ve got a chopper on standby. It’ll be at your current location in five minutes. Be on the roof ready, it won’t be able to stay long.”

“We’re nearly at the top now.”

“Good. Good job, John. You too, Dorian.” Maldonado signed off, and Dorian slipped the device back into John’s pocket.

“There’s only three floors left, we should be there in plenty of time for the helicopter.”

John nodded. “Lead the way,” he said, starting to follow Dorian up the remaining stairs. He was careful not to jostle Y/N too much, but even with his gentleness, she whimpered with each bump. John looked down at her, but her eyes were shut.

The evening air was cold as he and Dorian finally reached the roof. The helicopter hadn’t arrived yet, but the whirr of it could already be heard in the distance. “Not much longer, Y/N. We’re nearly home,” John whispered once he spotted the lights of the chopper.

He ducked over Y/N as the chopper landed, covering her from the strong gusts of wind. They kept low as they sprinted to the open door, John passing Y/N over to Dorian so he could climb in, before taking her back into his arms. “Let’s move it!” He shouted over the noise once Dorian was in too.

Y/N stirred when the helicopter took off again, and looked up at John. “John…John…” she whispered weakly. “I…I meant to tell you…I…”

“I know. I found the test,” John murmured, smiling down at Y/N as he brushed her matted hair off her face, noting just how hot and clammy she felt under his palm. Fever. Great.

Y/N smiled back. “Was…gonna…say…that night…”

“I guessed. We can have a doover once you’re better, yeah?”

Y/N nodded. “Sounds…nice…You’re driving…”

John chuckled as he kissed Y/N’s forehead again. “Damn right I am. I’m not leaving you out of my sight again.”

Y/N leaned into him. “The bomb?”

“Deactivated. You saved a lot of lives, sweetheart. You did good.” John could feel Y/N smile against his chest, and looked down to see her eyes fluttering shut. “Rest now, I’ll be there when you wake up.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Y/N hummed quietly, and soon her breathing evened out as she gave in to her exhaustion. John cradled her close to him, and looked over at Dorian. “You doing okay?” He asked tiredly.

“Nothing Rudy can’t fix,” Dorian answered. “We’re passing over the wall.”

John looked out the window, seeing the bright lights of the City back underneath them. He let his head fall back against his seat and closed his eyes.

He had Y/N back. She was hurt, but she was alive, and she was safe. There were still worries in his head, about her hand, about the baby, but for that moment, John was content.


	10. Chapter 10

_There was pain. So much pain. It was agony. You wanted to scream but you couldn’t. Wanted to thrash and claw and fight, but you couldn’t. You were scared. Terrified. You were all alone and there was nothing you could do. There were things you needed to say, messages you needed to give, but you were being prevented from doing so. Was this how the rest of your life was going to be? Trapped, and petrified, and in so much pain you thought you were going to pass out? **  
**_

_“Come now, little mouse, you’ll learn to like it.” A dark figure loomed over you, a flash of metal catching a far away light._

_You shook your head. You wouldn’t. You’d never give in and accept your fate. You’d fight with every breath you had. You tried to look defiant, but you were so afraid. You wanted John. John would make everything better. He’d hold you and kiss you, and tell you everything was okay. But he was on the other side of the Wall, unknowing to your true location._

_“The sooner you give up hope, the better, little mouse,” The dark figure grinned, trailing a knife from the base of your throat all the way down your body._

_You shook your head again. No. No you couldn’t. John would save you. He’d find a way. But what if he didn’t? You’d been trapped in the dark for so long, surely he would’ve come by now? You felt the tears you’d fought to hold back on your cheeks, and the figure laughed._

_“Poor little mouse,” he cooed mockingly, using the knife the catch a tear. “Little mouse, little mouse.”_

_There were hands on you, hands you tried to fight against. But you were tired, and so weak, and you had no energy. But you tried to fight them off anyway._

_“It’s alright, little mouse.”_

_“Little mouse.”_

_“Y/N.”_

“Y/N!”

You gasped as your eyes flew open. You were in a proper bed, surrounded by the soft beeps of hospital machinery. You were sitting up most of the way, two strong hands supporting you, and your own was clutching at a shirt in a death grip. You looked up, and slowly the face above you came into focus, “John?”

“Hey, sweetheart. You were having a bad dream, and you were thrashing about so much I thought you might hurt yourself if I didn’t wake you up,” John smiled gently down at you. “Want some water?”

You nodded, realizing just how parched you were. John helped you move, settling you so you were propped up with plenty of pillows. He went to pull back, but you kept your hold on his shirt. “John,” you whimpered, feeling yourself shake.

“I’m not going far, I promise. Just need to reach that tray at the bottom of the bed.” John placed his hand over yours. “I won’t be leaving your sight.”

Reluctantly, you released John, but he kept hold of your hand until the last possible moment. You kept your eyes on John as he poured you fresh water, and brought it back. You went to grasp the cup in both hands, nearly dropping it when there was only the one to hold it. Luckily, John caught it, and supported the bottom while you sipped.

“Does it hurt?” He asked, motioning towards your arm.

You looked down at the bandaged stump where your hand used to be, and shook your head. “No. Don’t feel anything.”

Carefully, John placed a hand on your arm on top of the bandage. “That’s good. Rudy’s already working on a new one for you. He promises that it’ll be top of the line, you’ll have full dexterity, and you’ll be able to smash someone’s face in with one punch.”

You chuckled quietly, looking from John’s hand back to his face. You tried to smile, but only managed to sob. You looked away again. “I must look disgusting,” you blurted through your tears.

“Hey, hey, Y/N, no.” John sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled you close. “Never. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” John shifted you gently, just enough so he could climb onto the bed behind you, and hold you to his chest.

“But…but…”

“But nothing. You’re stunning, and I love you.” You knew John’s words were meant to comfort, but all they did was make you cry more. You buried your head into his shirt, taking in the familiar scent of his aftershave, and held on as tightly as you could, as he rocked you gently.

It wasn’t just your hand. It was everything. You were feeling things you wouldn’t even know how to begin describing. So you didn’t. You let John hold you, and whisper gentle nothings to you while you sobbed into his chest, each one violently wracking your body.

“I…I’m sorry,” you managed to hiccup when your tears finally started to ebb.

“You got nothing to be sorry about, sweetheart. Nothing.”

“No…the baby…”

“Y/N, the baby’s fine.”

You pulled back sharply, eyes wide. “What?”

“It’s fine. Everything’s okay,” John smiled, stroking your hair softly.

“But…but they took me to the bathroom…there was blood…”

“You had an infection. The Doctor’s spotted it when you came in. They put you on antibiotics, and once it had cleared, they did some bloodwork and a scan. Everything’s fine. The baby’s healthy. Strong like their mom.”

You smiled as you brushed your hand over your face, wiping away the remaining tears. “I can’t believe it…I was sure…” You leaned forward again, resting your head on John’s shoulder. “Guess this means we’re going to get called robo-parents.”

John laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Guess it does.”

You closed your eyes, letting the steady rhythm of John’s breathing lull you into calmness. John fell quiet too, content to gently run his fingers through your hair, and hold onto you tightly.

It was only when there was a quiet knock on the door did you open your eyes again. You smiled when you saw Dorian slip into the room. “Hi.”

“Y/N, it is good to see you,” Dorian smiled back as he walked over to the bed.

“Good to see you too.” You considered sitting up, but you were still so exhausted, and between crying and finding out that your baby was okay, any energy you had had was long gone.

“I wanted to see how you were feeling.”

You opened your mouth to reply, but you found that you couldn’t. You didn’t know how you were feeling, not really, and you guessed that it would be some time before you did. “I’m…I’m okay,” you finally settled on, which wasn’t actually a lie. You were okay. Mostly. “Thank you, Dorian…for looking after John.”

Behind you John snorted, and Dorian chuckled. “I didn’t need to do too much. Your presence with John has helped him calm considerably and keep himself in check. In fact he only needlessly destroyed one MX during the whole week.”

“Only one? That’s go to be some sort of record. You should talk to Captain Maldonado about getting him a medal.”

“I am here you know,” John grumbled.

You chuckled, looking up at John. “Thank you for not destroying half the City while I was gone,” you teased, kissing his jaw.

“I mean, it was a quarter of it at most,” John teased back, nudging you softly.

Dorian smiled as he watched the two of you. “I also wanted to tell you that we’ve arrested the last of the known associates of Bates and Covett. They won’t be a danger to you again.”

“Thanks, Dorian,” John replied. “Keep me up to date with how the interrogations go.”

“I will,” Dorian nodded. “I’ll leave you both to get some rest.”

“Bye, Dorian.” You watched the DRN leave, then closed your eyes again.

John kissed your forehead. “Get some sleep, sweetheart.”

“You too. You look terrible,” you mumbled.

John chuckled through a huff. “I love you too.”

~

You rubbed your eyes wearily as you walked out of the hospital room. Two months of twice weekly therapy sessions, and they were leaving you feeling drained. Still, you smiled when you saw John waiting for you though, leaning back against the wall, two cups in hand.

“Hey, sweetheart, how’d it go?” John asked, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek as he passed you your cup.

You took a sip before answering, enjoying the perfectly made tea. “It went,” you sighed. “I need to cut back to one a week, John. It’s exhausting me like this.”

John nodded, slipping one arm around your back to rest a protective hand on your hip as you both made your way to the exit. “I’ll have a word, see if I can get them reduced. We all just want you to get better.”

“I know,” you smiled up at John, “I know, I do. I want to get better too, but it’s too much, going through everything time and time again.”

“I understand, I’ll get it sorted.” John kissed your temple as he opened his car door for you to get in.

“Thank you,” you murmured tiredly, slipping in. You passed your cup over to your synthetic hand while you buckled yourself in, trying to ignore just how weird it felt to see yourself holding it, but not being able to feel it. It was the oddest and worse thing about it all. You were getting used to seeing yourself with no hand when you weren’t wearing the synthetic replacement, and when you were, you were getting used to doing things with it. You had a solid grip with it, and you were quickly regaining your dexterity. But it was the lack of feeling you hated. You longed to feel the heat radiating from a cup, or John’s palm against yours when he was holding your hand. They said you’d get used to it time, but you doubted you ever would.

“Where are we going?” You asked when you noticed John wasn’t driving you back home.

“To see Rudy.” Was your answer.

“Why? My hand doesn’t need servicing yet.”

“Just…be patient. It’ll be good.” John glanced over at you. “Please?”

You rolled your eyes, pretending to look annoyed. “Only because it’s you, John Kennex.”

John grinned back at you, and kicked up the speed.

“John! Y/N! Perfect timing, I’ve just finished getting everything ready!” Rudy resembled an excitable puppy as you and John walked into his lab.

“Got what ready?” You asked.

“You haven’t told her?”

John shrugged, “Wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Will one of you tell me what’s going on?”

“Right, yes, here.” Rudy turned for a moment, and when he turned back he was holding a synthetic hand.

“I…don’t understand, you’ve already designed me a hand, Rudy.” You said, waving the hand about.

“Not like this.” Rudy hurried towards you, carefully placing the new hand down before gesturing to you. “May I?”

You nodded, giving Rudy your arm so he could remove the hand. He attached the new one in its stead, then rushed over to his computer. You watched the silver metal shimmer as it calibrated itself before changing to match your exact skin color. It was a work of art, no one would ever know that it was fake, but it looked no different to your old one. “I’m still not getting it. It’s beautiful, but it’s exactly the same.”

Rudy exchanged a glance with John and smiled. “Grab that mug next to you with it.”

“Rudy, what-” You stopped, mouth still gaping as you picked up the white mug Rudy had gestured to. “I…I can feel it. It feels strange, not like ceramic usually does, but it’s there!” You looked between the two men in amazement. “How?”

“John mentioned that you were having a hard time adjusting to not feeling, so I created a programme to change that. It can’t mimic the exact sensations we feel, hot, cold and so forth, but it will allow you to feel things, and it should allow you to feel different things, well, differently. You’ll get one sensation for hot, another for cold, skin will feel different,” Rudy explained. “Of course it’s still new, so there might be some bugs, you’ll feel the wrong thing at the wrong time, but I’ll keep working on it, and hopefully it’ll help a bit for now, maybe.”

You cut Rudy off by wrapping your arms around him, and hugging him tightly. “Thank you, Rudy. It’s fantastic,” you grinned, kissing his cheek before you released him.

“I..well…least I could do…really…quite alright” Rudy babbled, obviously flustered.

“Thank you anyway.”

“Yeah, thanks, Rudy.” John looped an arm around you. “Let’s get outta here before you give him a heart attack,” he whispered in your ear.

You chuckled, but nodded. “I’ll see you soon, Rudy!” You called, waving goodbye as you made your exit with John.

“Want to go get some noodles?” John asked once you were both back in the car.

You thought about, but ultimately shook your head. “I’m not really hungry.”

“What about some bubblegum ice cream from that place near the waterfront?”

“That’s taking advantage of a pregnant woman’s cravings, Detective.” You muttered, shooting John a faux death glare.

“So is that a yes?”

“You know damn well it is.”

You were standing near the rail, looking out over the sea when John passed you the cone of ice cream. “Two scoops? You’re pulling out all the stops aren’t you?” You teased, taking a long lick. You groaned in pleasure. “How did I hate this flavor for so many years?”

“Because you thought it was a synthetic abomination”

“I was horribly wrong. This is the best invention mankind has ever created, and if you don’t stop eyeing it up, I’ll punch you with this new hand of mine.”

John laughed, moving to stand behind you so he could wrap his arms around your waist. “That is if you can catch me first. I have extra speed with my leg.”

“You won’t if I get it off you, Hoppy,” you teased.

“Now that’s playing dirty, Stumpy,” John teased back

You giggled, looking up at John with a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” John settled his hands on your bump of a stomach. “Both of you.”

You smiled again, then looked back out across the sea to finish eating your ice cream in silence. When you were done, you rested your hands over John’s, tangling your fingers together just so you could feel the tingle of sensation under your new hand.

“My therapist said I should tell you something,” you murmured quietly to break the silence.

“What is it?”

You took a deep breath, watching the slowly sinking sun. “That right from the start I had no hope that you’d find me. I knew you’d be looking for me, that you’d leave no corner of the City unsearched, but I knew where I was, and I knew the plan, and from that moment…all hope just left. The only reason I had left to fight was to tell you about the bomb.”

John’s hold on you tightened minutely. “Y/N…”

“It wasn’t lack of faith in you, it just all felt so impossible. Even if you found out where I was, how could you get to me? All the way out there in the Old Town?” You sniffed quietly, unable to stop the tears that burned at your eyes. “Everyone is acting like I’m some sort of hero, but all week, I was just a scared girl who thought she’d never see the people she loved again.”

“Y/N, you are a hero. Because for all your fear, you still managed to save thousands of lives. If that bomb had gone off, the City would never have been the same again.”

“I just wanted you, John. I wanted you so much. On the nights I did sleep, I dreamed of you. Of you finding me, and holding me, and it made waking up to all that pain so much worse.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner,” John whispered, the crack in his voice making your heartbreak. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, John, it’s not your fault. Please, please don’t think that.”

John nodded, nuzzling into your neck. “I won’t leave you again, that’s a promise. I’m going to be with you every step of the way from now on.”

You turned in John’s arms, cupping his face softly so you could pull him in for a gentle kiss. “I know, I know,” you murmured, pressing your foreheads together. “Let’s go home?”

“Let’s go home.”

~

You woke with a start from another nightmare, the cold sweat clinging to you. The first thing you noticed was that John wasn’t in bed with you, and his leg had been removed from its charger. The second thing was that it was three am. “John?” You called out groggily, pushing yourself upright.

“Over here, sweetheart,” John called back from the living area.

You rubbed your hand over eyes, brushing away the remains of sleep, and climbed out of bed. You considered collecting your hand from its own charger, but decided against it. You walked past the row of medals John had proudly put up. You’d received a Purple Shield and a Police Life-Saving Medal, and there was talk of a Medal of Valor too. You still weren’t sure you deserved any of them, but John had insisted you’d accept.

Entering the living area, you spotted John on the sofa in the low light. “Another dream?” He asked.

“Yeah. Not as bad as they have been though,” you answered, settling down next to him. “What are you doing up?”

John looked down at the bundle he was cradling in his arms. “I went to get some water, and heard her fussing.” John settled the baby girl into the crook of one arm, and raised the other so you could scooch into his side.

You peered down at Aria . She had your eyes, but she looked like John. “Hey there, trouble. You keep your Daddy awake?” You cooed, letting her take your finger and suck on it.

“She can keep me up any night she wants,” John smiled fondly. “It’s your Mommy who should be sleeping, shouldn’t she?”

“You know I can’t get back to sleep after a dream,” you sighed.

John looked at you, the arm around your shoulders pulling you in close to him. “I know. You’ll get there though.”

You leaned up for a quick kiss. “I’ve got you two, of course I will.”

John smiled, and you both looked back down as Aria gurgled happily up at the two of you. “My two beautiful girls. You’re my world.”

“And you’re ours,” you murmured.

“I love you, Y/N.”

You rested your head on John’s chest, bringing your hand up to play with the engagement ring that hung from a chain around your neck. Despite the nightmares and flashbacks, you were happy. Happier than you had been in years. You had everything you wanted. “I love you too, John.”


End file.
